


Fade

by ConfessionForAnotherTime



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, Semi-explicit sex, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2015-11-25
Packaged: 2018-02-12 18:25:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 50,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2120157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConfessionForAnotherTime/pseuds/ConfessionForAnotherTime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liara is tormented by Survivor's guilt after the Normandy is torn apart and Shepard is lost. She later finds comfort in an unlikely source.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Residual Impact

A Drell on Ilium? How did I not know that? Liara mused as she saw the green skin disappear from sight into the shadows that fell in the evening sky.

Since becoming an information broker for the Shadow Broker himself, she had come to know many secrets on not just Ilium, but through all of space. For a Drell to escape her notice was unusual.

I must be slipping, she thought, filing the information away for later. It had been over a year since she last saw a Drell, Feron, when she had gone to recover Shepard’s … body. The look of the charred remains still haunted the dark spaces her mind when she closed her eyes. That must be normal though, she thought, when you retrieve your lover’s corpse.

Cerberus had wanted to resurrect the Commander. Knowing it would be the only way to potentially have Shepard back in her arms, she had taken the shot to work with them. That mission hadn’t come without consequences. Her partner, Feron, had been captured, and Liara was unsure if he was still alive. She hoped, but she knew what the broker was capable of. She felt obligated to get him back, but he knew the risks. She would deal with breaking him out as soon as she was able. What mattered now is she was staring out her window, watching a Drell.

Liara sank into her chair and sighed. Between Shepard and Feron, she had enough of losing people. Her heart felt heavy in her chest and considering she only knew Feron a short time, she still felt responsible for him. Shepard’s death weighed on her like nothing ever had prior to now. She didn’t just lose a friend when the Normandy SR-1 went down. She lost a companion, a confidant. A lover when she had never opened herself to the possibility. She had always buried herself in her studies as a way of coping with her awkwardness, thinking that romance was for people who knew how to talk to others. Spending so much time alone didn’t help her matters either, and now she felt drawn to this mysterious Drell, wondering where he came from, as Drell were rather uncommon outside of Kahje.

Her curiosity was getting the better of her. She had information to tend to and making eyes at someone through her window, no matter how exotic, was not going to help her.

“Nyxeris, clear my schedule for the rest of the evening. I need to head home early tonight,” Liara told her secretary, “I have some things I need to sort out.”

“Is it anything I can help with, Ma’am?” Nyxeris asked.

“No. You may leave at your normal time, but instruct anyone that I will be in tomorrow,” Liara replied.

“Of course, Ma’am,” she replied with a nod.

Liara set her omni-tool to away as she left her office, padding down the stairs. She had intended to see if she could find her mysterious Drell, but he had left the shadows where he had been lurking near the shops and kiosks. Her face fell, listening to a volus attempt to get a better deal on a suit component and his distress at the asari who refused to make his deal. Liara turned from them, following the corridors to Eternity. The Matriarch behind the bar greeted her with a smile, pouring a glass of an alcohol she didn’t recognize.

“Excuse me, but this is not what I usually get,” Liara stated, gesturing to the glass.

“I know, sweetness, but you look like you could use it,” the bartender replied.

“Right.” Liara tipped the glass back, shaking her head as she attempted to get rid of the overwhelming power of the alcohol. She blinked, feeling the alcohol affect her more than she usually liked. Her vision hazed before her.

“You know, your Drell friend was in here a little bit ago,” the bartender commented.

“My what? How did you know? Feron?” Liara asked, dumbfounded.

“Not Feron. Thane.”

“Thane?”

“What was that sweetness?” the bartender asked.

“You just told me…”

“Told you what, sweetness?” she asked, “I haven’t said anything since I handed you the glass. Sure you aren’t imagining things?”

“I’m not sure what I’m hearing then,” Liara said, shaking her head before setting her head on the cool bar counter.

“You should go home and get some sleep, sweetness,” the bartender stated, “you’ve been here three times this week already, and each time, you’ve spoken about a Drell. Drell aren’t common around here. I think you’re seeing things. Is there something bothering you, sweetness?”

“No. Thank you. I should probably head home.”

Liara paid her tab with the application on her onmi-tool, a small beep emitting when the transaction completed. She headed out of Eternity, rolling her eyes at several male bar patrons who were transferring credits to a bar girl dancing on their table. Her heels clicked on the floor as she headed to her apartment in a nearby building.

Liara lifted the hem of her skirt to keep from tripping up the short flight of stairs, entering the elevator and pushing the button for her apartment floor. The news chatter in the elevator broke the silence.

“The annual memorial of the famed Commander Shepard is set for this Saturday. It has been one year since Commander Shepard was lost, along with members of her crew, were attacked by an unknown craft, destroying the Normandy. Much of the crew was able to escape, but not before losing their Commander as she heroically saved the life of her pilot, Jeff Moreau, the last member of the Normandy to leave the ship. Commander Shepard’s memorial is set for 5pm on the Citadel for all those who can attend.”

Liara leaned against the cold, metal wall of the elevator, unable to contain the rush of emotion that had come over her. Ugh. Go away brain. I don’t need you right now. You always want me to dwell on things I can’t change. As that old Earth movie that Shepard liked said, “You can’t change the past.” Liara had thrown herself into her work so intensely after the ship crash. After teaming up with Feron to retrieve Shepard’s body, she couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had come back from each encounter, yet Shepard and Feron did not. A wave of guilt rushed over her as she realized that she had left Shepard with Cerberus, unable to let the Shadow Broker sell Shepard’s body to the Collectors. This guilt was compounded not knowing Feron’s fate, only to be made worse by the anniversary of Shepard’s death coming in just a few days. The guilt of knowing she survived, she made it, to live on, ate away at her. Why is it that Shepard told me to run? Why didn’t I go back for her? Why didn’t I go back for Feron? Why? The questions beat her down as she opened the door to her apartment, slumping against the door, her hands covering her face. The tears finally came, unabashed, as she questioned what was so special about her to that made it so she was alive when they were not. Liara cried against the door, emotions that she had locked away bubbling to the surface again, after being dormant since she returned with Shepard’s body. What was left of it anyway.

Minutes passed before she composed herself, wiping her face all over the sleeves of her dress, not caring anymore. Not like anyone is here anyway, she thought bitterly. She shed her dress, tossing it aside to be cleaned later. She stepped out of her panties, a custom that had become more prevalent since the influx of humans to the galaxy. They were useful, but oftentimes, cumbersome. She usually found reason to shed them as soon as she arrived home, thankful to be free of their confines. So happy that I don’t wear those everyday.

Emitting a sigh, she laid on her bed and stared at the wall. She knew that she wouldn’t be going to sleep at this rate, yet she felt no reason to keep awake. Her message terminal flashed green over at her console across the room, prompting her to look at it, bemused. Liara pushed the blanket off her, padding across the room to activate the screen, squinting at the light. The first message made her swallow hard.

Liara,  
We will be in contact with you soon.

The second message was less ominous.

Liara,  
I was just checking on you. You seemed rather distressed when you left the bar earlier. Please let me know if I can help in any way.  
~A

Liara cocked her head, realizing she didn’t know the bartender’s name despite heading there recently several times a week. Probably drinking more because I know, deep down, that day is coming up. Liara left her console, powering off the monitor and slipped back into bed. She realized as she laid down, she had left the office much earlier than normal, yet she found herself climbing into bed later than usual. Had I really stayed at Eternity… for an eternity? She laughed at the idea, quickly dismissing it, hoping for sleep to come. Like each day in the last year, her bed still felt too large for just herself. I only spent one night with Shepard, yet I feel like I had been with her for years. Why do I always get myself into this trap? As the morning hours crept on, Liara finally drifted to sleep, thankful for its reprieve from consciousness.

\--------------------------------------

The next day at the office, Nyxeris bringing her client after client gave her a wave of relief that she had been searching for. There really is nothing like having a bit of a hangover mixed with sleeplessness to make the day creep by.

“Ma’am, Lilis Axessi is on line three for you. She claims to have knowledge on why Asari vessels are disappearing near Noveria.”

“What’s her rate for what she has to say? Why do I have any interest in that?” Liara asked, unsure of the point.

“She didn’t say, Ma’am. She just said you would want to know.”

“Fine, put her through.”

A hologram of an asari displayed on the screen before her, white freckles in a crest where he tentacles began.

“Dr. Liara T’Soni, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you,” Lilis said, slight panic in her voice.

“I gathered. What do you know?” Liara asked, not wasting any time in hopes of the conversation being quick.

“Cerberus is near Noveria. They’re taking down Asari ships. I don’t know why, but I know who’s behind it,” she explained.

“So if you know who, but not why, then why do I care?” Liara asked coldly, trying not to perk up at the mention of Cerberus, “if you expect me to pay you, then you’re out of luck. I pay for information, not half-assed tips.”

“But, Dr. T’Soni--”

“I am not negotiating. Bring me more, or leave me.” She cut off the call, rubbing her eyes. “It’s amazing what people think I will pay for.”

“Indeed, Ma’am. I am heading out to grab something for lunch. Would you like me to pick up anything?” Nyxeris asked, grabbing her credit chit from her desk.

“Please. I’m going to look through some of the transcripts you have already collected,” Liara stated, motioning to her monitor.

A good amount of time passed as Liara sifted through multiple files, engrossing herself in her work. She didn’t even notice Nyxeris come back until she saw the food set onto her table next to her.

“Thank you,” Liara told her, unwrapping the container, “oooh, sushi! You didn’t have to go halfway across town.”

“Well, it isn’t as good as the sushi places on the Citadel, but you looked like you needed something comforting.” Nyxeris gave her a smile as she returned to her desk.

“I appreciate it. I really do. Oh, this weekend I need to take a trip to the Citadel. I have a few things I need to take care of, so since I’m leaving late tomorrow night to be by the next day, have anyone know that I will be out of the office until early next week.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Is there any message I should tell them in particular?” Nyxeris asked, making a note on the calendar.

“I have personal business to attend to.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

Liara finished her lunch, giving happy little noises at deliciousness of the sushi. She thumbed through the datapads of confessions, information, interrogations, and statements. Each one its own little distraction. Each one its own little help to keeping her busy so she had less time to think about now and less time to dwell. She shook her head, focusing on a confession from a Krogan about the whereabouts of a lost shipment of Red Sand. The Shadow Broker may be interested in knowing where some of his product. I have a feeling that dealing with the Queen of Omega isn’t something he wants to handle hough. Not my problem.

She flagged the confession, sending a message to the Shadow Broker in hopes of… she wasn’t sure what she was hoping to gain, but helping the Shadow Broker couldn’t hurt her chances. Especially after burning so many bridges with him so far. She brushed the thought from her mind, instead browsing more documents. One caught her eye. She smiled, moving the document to her personally encrypted folder. Good to see you’re fighting the good fight on Omega, Garrus. Stay safe. She hoped that Garrus wouldn’t blatantly send her messages saying hello within the messages of false reports from agents on Omega. She was pleased to see he was holding up well, throwing himself into his own line of work in the same way that she had been doing for close to a year. She considered sending him a message, hoping they could catch up, but thought better of it, as his cover could be blown and based on other messages she had received, his presence wasn’t exactly welcome on Omega.

Hours passed before she finally decided that her brain would explode before she would get through even a small percentage of the documents she had at her disposal. She resigned herself to only processing that short bit, taking several documents home with her.

“Nyxeris, I’m heading home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”


	2. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liara notices a ripple in her routine.

“Good to see you again, miss,” the bartender commented as she walked into Eternity.

“This has become somewhat of a regular occurrence, hasn’t it?” Liara replied, punching her drink order into the terminal. 

“Well, sugar,” the Matriarch Asari commented, “I just call them how I see them. You wouldn’t be coming here if there wasn’t something you wanted to run from, whether you realized it or not.”

Liara scoffed playfully, grabbing her drink, “well aren’t we a bucket of fun.”

“I’ve met a lot of people in my time. I’ve grown accustomed to knowing how to read people.”

“I came here to escape, not be reminded.”

“You remind yourself everyday. You don’t need my help,” the bartender commented, giving Liara a small wave before attending other patrons.

Liara grabbed her datapad, reading through the statements of a Quarian running a smuggling ring while off on her Pilgrimage. Lia’Shar nar Taska had handed over a shipload of information that she had gathered just listening in on people in the Citadel. She was one of her best informants purely because no one paid attention to young Quarians out on their Pilgrimages. No one paid any attention to them. She could sit and record every conversation she wanted with the tech she chose to implant into her suit. Sometimes, she chose to infiltrate the vents of the person she was following, simply to get the better gossip and information. She sipped her drink, remarking at its strength before reviewing the file. She spent her time highlight and marking the file, ordering more drinks as the night wore on.

“You sure you’re all right there, sugar?” the Matriarch asked from behind the bar, “you usually drink half as much in twice the time. What are you running from?”

“No offense is meant, but nothing I want to discuss,” Liara replied, turning off her datapad before shoving it into her bag. She got up, mis-stepping a bit in her haze, and made her way to the bar’s restroom. Thankfully, this public restroom has individual rooms as stalls instead of just walled dividers. Once she left the stall, she headed to the wash basin, cleaning her hands. From behind, she heard a figure slide up behind her. the mirror in front of her showed an asari behind her.

“Don’t. Move. You’re alone,” the unknown asari commanded, “stop reviewing the information. Lia’Shar won’t be harmed if you let it go. Sell or trade it and the both of you are dead. This is your only warning.”

The unnamed asari shoved her forward, Liara letting out a cry as she collided with the wall. She ran out as Liara fell to the floor. Liara pulled herself up with the help of the wash basin. That didn’t go as badly as anticipated. I’m still alive. She brushed herself off, not entirely shaken by the threat as they had become more prevalent since she had started information broking. No one wants their secrets shared. She found her way out of the restroom back into the bar, sitting down where she had been previously.

Liara punched in a shot of Batarian Brandy into the drink terminal. The Matriarch shot a look at her but poured the drink anyway.

“Something happen?” she inquired, pouring her another shot, “on the house. You look rather shaken.”

“You may need to get security for your restrooms. I was just threatened,” Liara stated, trying not to show how shaken she may be.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Liara took a taxi home after kicking back a few more shots. She figured she would look into the unknown asari in the morning, to find out who would want to keep that a secret and why. She barely remembered how she got home, collapsing on the couch of her living room after locking the door of her apartment once she arrived.

\--------------------------------------

“Shepard!” Liara called.

“Distress beacon is ready for launch,” Shepard replied, turning to face her.

“Will the Alliance get here in time?” Liara asked after putting on her helmet.

“The Alliance won’t abandon us,” Shepard told her, stabling Liara as the Normandy took another blow from the unknown assailant, “we just need to hold on. Get everyone onto the escape shuttles.”

“Joker’s still in the cockpit,” Liara stated, grabbing an extinguisher in an attempt to get rid of some of the flames, “he won’t evacuate. I’m not leaving either.”

“I need you to get the crew onto the evac shuttles,” Shepard said sternly, “I’ll take care of Joker.”

“Shepard.”

“Liara, go. Now!”

“Aye-aye.”

Liara rounded the corner, ushering in more crew members to the escape pod.

“Everybody in! Go! Go! Go!”

Liara secured herself in the pod after watching an explosion take out another female crewmate, sealing the door as they prepared for launch, unsure of Shepard’s fate.

Liara blinked, cold sweat dripping off of her. It had been months since she had relived that encounter and never had it come to her so vividly. She had flashes of it before, but none of it slapped her so hard in the face as it had done right now. It was too real this time. It took her a moment to realize that tears were falling off her cheeks, flash of reality shaking her more than she initially thought. She got up, pulling on a longer shirt that she had taken from Shepard’s locker previously, retrieved a glass of water from her bathroom, using the nearby towel at the sink to dry off the sweat and tears. Soon, she found herself in the living room, sitting on the chair that looked out over the Ilium skyline. Much of the city was dark, with the occasional light shining out from a taller building. She curled her knees up to her chest, hugging them, hoping that the feeling would pass before too long so she could head back to sleep. Looking over at the clock, Liara noted that the sun would rise before too long and she would have to get ready to go into work. I need a personal day, she thought, hell, I need several. I have too much to do at work though. Too many clients who would have my head if I left in the middle of their cases. Liara activated her omni-tool, sending a message to Nyxeris that she would not be in right away the next morning. She hoped that Nyxeris would take the hint to move her appointments until later pushing each appointment back an hour or two. She shook her head, not worrying herself with the details while she focused on herself. I need to get back to sleep. That’s why I’m pushing back work. I need sleep. That’s it.

Before long, she found herself back in bed, taking in the faint scent on the shirt before drifting off to sleep again.

The light streaming in the window woke her initially. The chirp from her console is what summoned her from her bed with several messages waiting for her when she finally rose from bed. Half of the morning had been wasted sleeping, she thought, scrolling through the messages. Another from the bartender, two from Nyxeris about clients wishing to reschedule as soon as possible and another from the unknown source.

Liara scoffed at the monitor, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she found herself in the kitchen, hoping she had something in her fridge other than alcohol. Ugh, need to get dressed. Need to find food. Get to the office. Thank Nyxeris. This to-do list is rather short for how frantic I feel. Her inner monologue plagued her, going back and forth with the idea of getting to work at the time she said she would be there. She popped a quick nutrition bar into her mouth as she stripped down, jumping into the shower that she initially found too hot, then soon settled, allowing it to wash away the feelings that had taken over her. Work will be the death of me, but I think I’m finally getting the hang of what is it that I need to say. What I need to do to be able to get the information that I want. Let’s see how awful today is going to be and how badly I have to betray my own identity in order to get what I want.

After showering and dressing, Liara allowed monotony of the office to take over after her short taxi ride. She spoke to a salarian business woman about how the business woman planned to manipulate a stock and if Liara could get the proper excitement built over the item she wanted to inflate in price. Liara entertained the idea before cutting her off, gaining the intel she needed and selling it off. She knew that she would be no good in inflating the price of an item, but she knew people who could. She shook away the headache that was beginning to hit her, hoping it would stave off until she climbed aboard her shuttle later that evening.

She had dismissed her previous messages due to the time of the morning, but a new one had just blinked in. Cerberus? She hadn’t spoken to anyone there since she had recovered Shepard’s remai--body and left it with them, stealing it away from the grasp of the Collectors and the Shadow Broker, hopeful in her trust in their ability. The message didn’t give away anything vital. She wanted to know if they had made progress, but knowing Cerberus, they would come to her instead of having to seek them out. She gave a quizzical look at the screen before slumping her posture in her chair, saving any kind of response that she would make for later, as responding at the office would be in bad form.

Liara’s eyes narrowed as she activated her omni-tool to see who was outside the door.

“Ma’am?” Nyxeris called, “you have a visitor.”

“Who is it?” Liara asked, warily.

“Miranda Lawson. May I permit her entry?” she asked.

Liara nodded as Nyxeris pushed the button to unlock the door, watching as it slid open and Miranda’s figure came into view.

“It has been a long time, Miranda,” Liara stated coolly, “I was beginning to think that I wouldn’t hear from you again after my delivery.”

“Quite the contrary. Since we last spoke, we have made astounding progress in resurrecting Shepard,” Miranda told her.

“Stop,” Liara replied curtly, “now really isn’t the best time. I have too much to deal with right now to think about… that.” She left it ambiguous and looked away from Miranda, steeling herself for the potential onslaught that she may unleash on her.

“I’m not trying to upset you, Liara. I just figured you would be happy to know that we may be able to succeed with our venture.”

“Don’t you think I would want that with all of my heart? Don’t you think I haven’t wished for that for every moment since I jumped in that escape pod? Since I left her with you? Don’t talk to me about not wanting to upset me because you knew how this would affect me. I haven’t contacted you because I still have nightmares about the Normandy and I figure if I don’t get my hopes up, I have nothing to worry about if you fail,” Liara spat at her, fighting the urge to cry, Nyxeris purposely busying herself so it didn’t seem like she was eavesdropping despite her position with Liara, “get out of my office. I don’t want to deal with this right now.”

“We’ve gotten her heart beating in case you want to come visit. Her vitals respond a bit when you talk to her ever since we got some of her brain activity online. It isn’t much, but some of the woman you loved is still alive in her. That’s all I wanted you to know,” Miranda said softly, her eyes downcast as she left.

“Nyxeris, alert me if she ever calls again.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days fuzzed together as Liara took a shuttle to the Citadel, packing provisions for a several day trip. Dr. T’Soni found it easier to deal with being on an Asari vessel for once, as too many memories welled up at the thought of booking an Alliance vessel. Very little of the anniversary itself was entirely memorable, aside from everyone who showed up. Thousands poured in to pay their respects, many of them recognizing Liara near the forefront of the event. Liara liked to think that other surviving members of the Normandy would make it as well, but the overwhelming amount of people made it easy for them to be lost in the crowd. Later, after dinner with Anderson, Liara settled in her rented cabin, exhaustion taking hold of her from the sheer amount of the day. So many had turned out, but they paled in comparison to seeing Garrus or Tali. She had hoped to see Ashley but had received a message on her flight over that she was needed on a far off human colony. A vid-communication blinked in on her omni-tool.

“T’Soni,” Liara greeted, obvious wear showing on her face.

“Liara, several of your clients are wondering how long you will be,” Nyxeris’ face came into view, her tone concerned.

“I told you to relay to them that I will return in a few days. What has them so concerned?” Liara stated, clearly growing annoyed with her lack of personal time.

“A few asked is all, Ma’am.”

“Wonderful. Well, I will return soon,” Liara responded, clicking off the communication before Nyxeris had a moment to ask her more questions about her return.

This trip is almost over and I just got here. Work will be the death of me.

\-------------------------------------------------

The return to Ilium provided less comfort for her than when she had left it, leaving her to wonder why she was bothering to return at all. Right, I have a debt to settle, she reminded herself, straightening the skirt of her dress before leaving the Asari vessel she was traveling on. She had arranged to have her bags taken to her room as soon as she landed, so she didn’t notice the shoulder she ran into when she was leaving the space port.

“Pardon me,” the deep gravely voice said to her, as the man pushed past her.

Normally, Liara wouldn’t take note of someone bumping into her, but as she looked back to see who it was, the crest of crimson at his throat and the green and yellow decorating his face.

“You’re the Drell I saw last week,” Liara said in awe, certain she would never see him again.

He paid no attention to her as he passed her. That was rather rude.

When she arrived home, she pulled out her datapad, looking into any kind of tracking she could find on Ilium about Drell coming or going. Several entries popped up, which she found strange due to how uncommon the Drell were in the universe. Maili Hecil, Fasir Bonheric, Shail Masir. The first was female, crossing that one off the list. The second had an orangy green hue to it, also crossed off the list. The last one was the winner. Greenish with red throat frill. Typing the name into her information network yielded little results but enough to give an idea. Year of death: 2181. So either I saw a ghost or someone is using an alias. Further searches led her to another name: Thane Krios. Worth looking into. A few quick searches later brought her to find he was a rather skilled assassin, one of the best. She recoiled a bit. She wondered why he was here, but considering it was Ilium, he could be here for a number of reasons. Soon, her paranoia took over. What if he’s here to kill me? She stopped for a second and considered her options. She couldn’t call Nyxeris, as she was more of a colleague than a friend. Aside from her, she didn’t really seen anyone else on a regular basis, aside from the bartender. I couldn’t ask her. In that moment, she realized how alone she was.


	3. Assassin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Occupational hazards are normal with information broking.

\--------------------------------------

She spent the next few days frantically pacing when she wasn’t at the office. She had relayed with Nyxeris her theories about the Drell she had seen, what she thought he was doing here, though she didn’t know for sure why. Using her connections, she found he had a trail of bodies follow him wherever he went. If he was sent to kill her, he was going to do it. Each night, she put herself out in the open of the Eternity bar, figuring no one would be stupid enough to go after her in a place full of of people. Within three nights, he found her there, continuing to pour herself into the datapads of data. She sat at her barstool, leaned over the bar, keeping herself close to the Matriarch. He silently slid up to the bar, ordering his drink.

“Hey, you’re that Drell I saw at the ship port,” she called over, hoping her public display would catch the attention of some of the bar patrons.

“Miss, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe it would be better if we talked in private,” he suggested, sliding over to her after grabbing his drink.

Alarm rang through Liara. He knows who I am. He’s going to kill me. I can’t leave here. He elaned over to her, sipping his drink.

“You are being watched. I was originally sent here to kill you, but after reading up on you, I decided it would be wiser to help protect you. My name is Thane Krios,” he stated, bowing slightly before her, “you have several groups who want you dead because you went on leave and they think that you are plotting something. I know you are not.”

Liara was put off by the admission. She had learned little of him from what few dossiers she had found on him.

“Why should I even begin to trust you? I know who you are,” she told him, her eyes narrowing.

“Then you know that there are others after you,” he replied.

“Actually, no. I just figured that with you here, you would do it yourself,” she said dryly, taking another sip of her drink.

“I have no intention of killing you, despite that being my original reason for coming.”

“So why the change of heart?” she asked, certain in her head, but not wanting to give it away yet.

“Because you have gone through so much to get where you are now, and aside from dealing in information broking, your death would leave a black mark on what little soul I have left.”

She laughed, measuring him up, “An assassin with a conscience? That’s kinda sweet really. However, it’s going to take more than that if you plan to gain my trust to long-con me into whatever you plan to do so you can kill me when I least suspect it.”

“What happened to you to make you so untrusting of others, Liara?” Thane asked, hoping his use of her first name would go unnoticed. It didn’t.

“Liara? No. You don’t get to call me by my name,” she huffed, clearly ruffled by his presence.*

“I meant no disrespect, Dr. T’Soni. I just don’t want to see you harmed, no matter how much money I was promised,” he replied, his face conflicted. Liara sighed, certain that she was being too harsh to the Drell who had told her that he was planning on protecting her instead of killing her.

“I’m sorry. Life has been… different in the last year. It has changed in ways that I can’t really grasp and I don’t know how to deal with it,” Liara told him, turning to look out the window.

“Well, Dr. T’Soni, we all have to experience turmoil in order to be able to grow. I’ve read your dossier on what has happened to you and while it is unpleasant, I can understand what you’re going through,” he said, trying to comfort her, “what happened isn’t your fault. It never was. You need to see that.”

“I know it isn’t my fault, but that doesn’t stop it from feeling like it is,” she shot back, her eyes glistening again.

“Again, I’m not trying to upset you. I know you don’t know me, but I’m here to help,” Thane said.

“Right, an assassin trying to comfort me. That’s wonderful,” she told him, sarcasm dripping in her tone.

“Look, I understand if you aren’t going to trust me, but I am telling you the truth,” he said in a low tone before paying his tab and leaving, “and as creepy as this sounds, I’ll be watching you.”

Liara was taken aback. On one hand, if he was telling the truth, she had a rather good assassin watching over her. On the other, his warning unnerved her. Others are after me. The asari in the bathroom was just a warning. I think the next one will be out to kill me. She packed up her datapad, thanking the Matriarch as she turned to leave. Liara was suddenly aware of every shadow on her way home. She didn’t live far from the bar, but the idea of walking alone left her uneasy. She hailed a taxi at the port, programming it back to her apartment building. She thought she had been wise to do so, but the moment she stepped into her apartment building, she was ambushed in the lobby by two turians. Great.

“There she is,” the male turian said, red markings on his face. He unholstered his pistol, drawing to fire at Liara. The female turian, marked with blue, set off a barrage of biotic attacks. This is how I die. Liara fired back with her own onslaught, shielding herself from the bullets and biotics. Despite not fighting much as an information broker, she hadn’t lost much of her edge, but she was outnumbered. She kept her shield up to stop the bullets, but an unexpected warp penetrated her defenses enough to strike her, causing her to cry out in pain. She lost her balance, falling to the floor.

“Looks like you’re done, T’Soni,” the male turian growled, aiming his gun.

“Not as done as you are,” a male voice called out. Liara looked to its source, as the two turians were dispatched by a flurry of biotic attacks. Liara scrambled back, trying to get out of crossfire. She got back on her feet, sending her own biotic attacks at the pair, pulling the male turian into the air, combining it with a warp, setting off an explosion that sent him flying. Considering he didn’t stir after he hit the floor, she assumed her was down for good. The female turian proved harder to combat, but between the two of them, another set of biotic explosions made quick work of her. She was a little out of breath as she turned to Thane.

“Goddess. I didn’t figure you were kidding when you said other were after me, but I didn’t expect them so quickly,” Liara responded with a pant.

“I tried to warn you,” he called to her as he moved each of the motionless turians out of view.

“I gather that, but I have no reason to trust you. Though, I appreciate the help. Thank you,” she said, brushing herself off.

“You’re welcome, Dr. T’Soni,” he called to her as she disappeared into the elevator and up into her apartment.  
\-----------------------------------------

As the days wore on after the warning and initial attack by the turian pair, Liara grew accustomed to looking over her shoulder. From her apartment to the office, from the office to Eternity, and from Eternity home, she found herself feeling like she was being watched. Not sure if that’s Thane or some other… assassin. She wasn’t sure if she felt comforted by his presence, but after the turians the other night, she had been grateful. Liara likely would have not made it out of the encounter without injury. Or worse. She brushed the thought from her mind, trying to stay alert of her surroundings. They’ll try to get me when I’m not paying attention so if I stay alert then I’ll be able to take them on because I’m not some wilting rose. I mean I’m an asari. They should know that I have biotic ability and does no one look into who I have worked with? I mean really. Her inner monologue was broken when she walked into Thane.

“You really should be more careful,” he said, “there were about three opportunities there where someone could have attacked.”

“Says the assassin originally sent to kill me,” she sneered, continuing past him. He trotted behind her to catch up.

“I could protect you,” he offered.

“Rather hard for you to protect me when you’re one of the ones after me.”

“If I wanted you dead, you would be dead already,” he shot back.

“Fine,” she replied, “but I’m not paying you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I’ll be watching you.”

\------------------------------------------

The door slid closed as Liara was leaving her apartment the next morning. Food food food. Why do I always leave so little time for myself in the morning that I can’t make myself a morning meal and instead I have to deal with eating these nutrition bars that barely pass as edible? I would like the food in my apart…

“Dr. T’soni?” a voice asked behind her as she locked the door. As she turned to face him, she was met with the barrel of a pistol leveled right between her eyes. Liara took the split second of realizing her predicament to throw the human against the wall, taking off into a sprint after using her biotics to move the gun out of his reach. She ran to the nearest taxi station, surprised she wasn’t being followed. When she arrived at her office, Nyxeris met her with concern.

“Ma’am, what happened? You look rather alarmed,” she stated, concerned.  
“What is the status on that krogan bodyguard I wanted to hire?” Liara asked, brushing herself.

“I haven’t heard from him yet, but once we have one we can trust, I will have him in contact with you.”

“Well, I need him now,” Liara demanded impatiently, “this last mercenary trying to kill me was waiting outside my apartment door this morning, right before I got here.”

Liara took a moment, ignoring Nyxeris, and laid her head against her desk once she sat down. Life doesn’t really stop moving forward, does it? No matter how much I want to go back. Shepard.

“Ma’am. I’ve called you a few times now,” Nyxeris commented, “Shall I transfer the krogan to your line?”

“Yes, thank you.” Liara answered the call, a gruff voice on the other line.

“You have work for me?” he asked, his form barely discernible on the holoscreen.

“Yes. I need you to follow me where I go, report any suspicious activity, and keep me safe when I go places. I’ve already messaged you with your pay rate. What do you say?” Liara asked, laying out the terms.

“Works for me. How long will this go for?” he inquired.

“Until mercenaries stop being sent after me or you fail.” The coldness in the statement shocked even Liara a bit.

“Understood. I will head over to your office now.” The communication went silent.

“Nyxeris, found one. You’ve already checked him out?” she called.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Good. Though it doesn’t hurt to research the Drell.

\------------------------------------------

Another attempt or two, but the news of the krogan following her made whoever wanted her dead lessen the frequency of their attacks. Approximately a week passed before things settled back to normal. Wake up late. Protein bar. Shower and dress quickly. Wait for Krogan outside. Go to work. Review datapads. Leave work. Get a drink. Go home. The day passed quickly and Liara was sipping a drink at Eternity before she realized that she had stuffed multiple datapads into her bag, each full of information waiting for review. As Ravog escorted her home from  
the bar, she couldn’t help but feeling watched. It was unexpected as no one had tried anything in several days, but she was still conscious to the extra set of eyes on her. The feeling nagged at her as she took that last sip as the bar, to her last step out the elevator.

“Here,” she called back to the Ravog, “thank you, Ravog.”

“Yes, Dr. T’Soni,” Ravog told her, closing the distance between the two of them.

“Same time tomorrow?” she asked as she turned to open the door.

She was met with his heavy breathing.

“Ravog?” She turned to look at him. She found herself on the business end of a shotgun. Goddess, not again. In the second it took her to fire her biotics, she was thankful for that feeling of being watched. Though she hadn’t seen him before then, she was thankful to Thane coming in to help her, his own biotics knocking the krogan down on his side. Liara sent off a singularity to hold him in the field, turning to Thane.

“Have you been following me?” she asked angrily.

“A simple ‘you’re welcome’ would have sufficed,” he replied sarcastically.

The krogan was soon dispatched by their onslaught as they ripped his armor with their biotics. They disposed of him quickly, not wanting to alert more than needed.

“Have you been following me?” she asked again.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because while Ravog was good protection, he was easily persuaded. I saw him talking with others. Heard your name come up. So I followed you. This only happened this morning. I approached him outside your office to see if I could match what the other person had planned to pay him. When I couldn’t, I figured I would keep a closer watch today. I didn’t think you would investigate each day every person your bodyguard was talking to,” he explained.

She made sense of the admission. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because so far, I’m the only person who you have investigated who hasn’t tried to kill you yet. Because I offered to protect you and have tried to help you without you asking. Because I have nothing to gain by your death. Shall I continue, Dr. T’Soni?” he asked, growing more agitated.

“I’m still not paying you.”

\------------------------------------------

Monotony returned again to her world, despite the lack of krogan and the Drell watching her every movement. Thane came to hang around her office, growing casual with Nyxeris, even introducing himself to her. Liara made a face at the two. Nyxeris went back to processing documents and billing information, careful to not anger Liara. Thane took the time to wander over to her desk, sitting on a chair next to her.

“So are you finally going to trust me? I’ve been watching over for you for two weeks now. The two mercs that came after you, you didn’t even know about until after I told you they were taken care of. You’ve researched my contacts. You’ve researched me more than a dozen times. What is keeping you from trusting me?” he asked, careful to not sound demanding.

“Truth is,” she said in a low voice, “I’m afraid to, not because of what I think you may do, but of what I might do. It’s been a while since I last trusted anyone Thane.”

“Well, in your own time then,” he stated, pushing his chair in after getting up to leave, “I’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready to leave here.”

Hours passed before Liara was ready to pack up from the browsing of files, vid calls, and occasional face to face interview. As Liara descended the stairs, he took a bit of pity on her.

“Come on, we’re heading to dinner,” he told her.

“Excuse me?”

“You look exhausted. The least I can do is buy you dinner.”

Liara followed him to the nearby taxi, heading off to a restaurant across town. How does he know where I like to eat?

“I love eating here,” he said absently as they rode over.

“As do I,” she replied, giving him a sideways glance as they got out of the taxi.

Dinner progressed as awkwardly as it could, the two of them eating in silence for most of the meal. After tabs were charged, they got back into another taxi, heading back to her apartment.

“Well, this didn’t go as I hoped,” Thane commented with a chuckle.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, my whole plan with this was to show you that I’m not going to betray you when the breath of more money is spoke of. I don’t think you’ve caught on that I’m still watching over you, yet you aren’t paying me. You were paying Ravog. He dropped you as soon as he got a better price. Yet I’ve been watching you since I came to Ilium. My overall goal has been to see that no harm comes to you. Why? I can’t say, but it won’t happen,” he explained, fiddling with the cuff of his jacket as they left the taxi upon arriving at her apartment building.

“I believe you. I don’t know why but I do. You’ve saved me from more than one attack so far and you’re right, I have no reason not to trust you. I’ve tried to find any kind of dirt on you that I can and there’s nothing. It’s like you don’t exist almost,” she admitted. The next part she was unprepared for. It had been ages since someone had touched her, so when he encircled her in his arms, she froze.

Liara stood there, refusing to hug him back, but allowed him to hug her, taking comfort in the fact that this has been the only person to acknowledge she is still in pain over this. Over losing the Normandy. Over losing Shepard. She had been able to keep to herself for the last year, taking solace in the isolation, yet for a different reason than all those times that she had been out on digs. Most would have been driven crazy with all the time to think, but oftentimes, she relived the happier times she had spent with Shepard, instead of focusing on the bad. She wrapped herself in the warm memories, and here someone was, hugging her, telling her they understood, despite not knowing of their existence more than an hour before. A few minutes passed and she found her hands circling his waist, leaning into the warm of his chest, allowing herself to think that this was not a Drell, but the woman whom she had loved, whom she still loved, despite her uncertainties of Cerberus being able to bring her back.

“Thank you, Thane,” Liara muffled into his chest, “I’ve been alone for so long, that despite being unsure as to if I can trust you or not, I’m going to. Thank you for this.”

Liara leaned in to kiss him, her way of apologizing for her outburst and thanking him for his kindness. He was struck by the gesture, frozen for a moment.

“Yo-you’re welcome, Dr. T’Soni. I’m not sure what you’re trying to say though,” he stated, touching his hand to his lips.

“I’m not trying to say anything,” she told him after she pulled away from his embrace and walked off, closing the door to her bedroom behind her before calling, “the couch is rather comfortable.”


	4. Familiar

Her sleep was less fitful that night and when she woke, she had forgotten about Thane staying in her living room. She was startled when she found him in her kitchen, having woken before her. Thankful that she had remembered to put on some clothing before leaving her room, she gave him a confused look as he turned to her, handing her a mug.

“Tea?” he asked, the mug handle facing her.

“Yes, thank you,” she said, taking the mug.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked, keeping the conversation light.

“Fine. What about yourself?” she inquired.

“After my contact realized that I had turned against him and am instead protecting you, he sent a few men to dispatch me,” he replied, low tone to his voice, “they soon regretted listening to that order.”

Liara made a face, focusing on the mug in front of her. She whispered something that he didn’t quite hear.

“What was that, Dr. T’Soni?” Thane asked.

“I said ‘thank you’,” she replied, “I don’t know why I’m in this mess, aside from being unable to keep myself together, but for what it’s worth, thank you. I don’t know how to repay you.” A smile graced her purpling blue features as blush crept up her cheeks.

“You don’t need to repay me at all. Knowing I can help someone in their time of distress is all I need. I saw something in you,” he told her, a smile reaching the wet black of his eyes.

She smiled, unsure of where to go with this. She had a deadly assassin in her home, all because she invited him in and allowed him to stay. He said that he knew what it felt like, to be where I am at. What does he mean? she thought. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thoughts plaguing her.

“Dr. T’Soni, everytime I look over at you, you either have this look of distress or as if you may cry,” he commented, hoping to lighten the mood.

“No, no. I don’t plan on crying today. I just… I don’t get it. I knew why you changed your mind about me and about completing the hit on me. It’s just not clicking in my head as to why I should accept it. I can tell you’re a good person. I can tell I can trust you. I just don’t know why my heart and brain are accepting it so readily,” she explained, her hands gesturing wildly, an odd habit picked up from the few times she had alone with Shepard.

“It could be that for once, you have someone who can understand the guilt of not being able to save what you have…” His eyes flashed, a Drell memory triggering, “An apartment, lights on, inside a woman, laying on the floor, blood all around her, Irikah, no, too late. I try to move her, nothing happens…”

Liara was taken aback, “I had heard of Drell memories before, but I haven’t ever seen one. That was fascinating.” She paused, noting that one of his eyes had welled up, a tear rolling downing his cheek. “You okay?” she asked.

“I am. I just try to avoid conversation that allows me to relive my wife’s death, as I never handle it in a manner fitting of an assassin. It shows weakness. A weakness they chose to exploit,” he explained.

“I am sorry for the loss of your wife. As you know, I lost someone close to me, too. She has been the only person close to me like…” she trailed off, not wanting to continue the line of thought.

“A lover?” he finished, turning to face her.

“I think we need to change the subject. I’m hungry. Are you hungry? I’m hungry,” Liara stated awkwardly.

“Ah yes, food. Come, wherever you like. My treat.” He took her hand, leading her out the door, smiling.

\-----------------------------------------------

The day progressed and Liara dreaded returning to work the next day. She had enjoyed the time she had spent with Thane thus far. He was a gentleman in the truest sense, but she found herself confused as to how a man so kind and sincere could be a cold-blooded assassin. She shook herself out of her musings, finding her way to the kitchen to grab a drink before bed. She did not expect to see Thane meditating on her floor, facing the floor to ceiling windows as the Ilium skyline shared its last moments of light. Straining, she heard him whispering to himself, a prayer? Her head tilted, as if unable to understand before shrugging and continuing to get her drink.

“Did I disturb you? I was trying to keep quiet.” His voice deafened her in the quiet stillness of the apartment.

“N-no,” Liara stammered, “I had planned to come out to grab something to drink. I was actually trying my hardest not to disturb you, really.”

“No need, Dr. T’Soni. Even the smallest meditation can calm the stormiest of seas,” he replied, turning to face her.

“I’ll let you get back to it then,” she said from the hallway after retrieving her drink. Liara shut the door behind her, leaning against it, trying to calm the uncomfortable feeling within her. Why is he making me uncomfortable all of a sudden? It’s not like he hasn’t spent several days with me.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Easing back into work proved to be more difficult than initially thought. More than a month had passed since the memorial and something was still off about Liara. Nyxeris noticed Liara having more trouble getting into the swing of things after her unscheduled vacation. Something was different about her. Liara could tell that those around her were noticing the difference. She tried to shake it but found herself thinking about everything at once. Shepard, the memorial, learning about the assassin, Feron, Thane staying with her. Thane. That’s where the initial trip lay. He was unlike Feron in nearly every way. Feron was witty and slick. This other Drell, Thane Krios, he seemed older. He may not have been more than 10 years older than Feron, but she could tell that his experiences had worn on his soul. The memory flash he had shown her, of his wife dying, had unnerved her, yet she couldn’t help with connecting to the loss. Enough of that. Liara left her office a little later than usual. Her walks back to her apartment had been uneventful but she still had this nagging doubt that something was still going to happen to her. Information deals had been slightly harder to come by in the last month, with her usual client preferring to go with other agents instead of dealing with her. This made credit flow tighter, but not unmanageable. Liara stopped to pull the hem of her dress off of her shoe as she ascended the stairs to her place, when she was grabbed from behind.

“Don’t make a sound, T’Soni,” the female voice told her.

The assailant didn’t have the chance before Liara heard her fall to the ground after her hand released her. Thane stood behind the asari between them, her neck contorted in a way that wasn’t conclusive with her still being alive.

“That’s the first one that’s gotten close enough to touch you since me,” Thane stated, grabbing the unknown asari to dispose of her.

“There have been others?” Liara asked, slightly alarmed.

“Of course. Why do you think I haven’t left yet?” Thane told her, nonchalantly, “believe it or not, my presence has been needed half a dozen times.”

Liara was conflicted. On one hand, she had this efficient killer protecting her. On the other, people still wanted her dead. Yet, she had Thane. But people still wanted to kill her. She busied herself with getting inside and out of sight, waiting for Thane to finish disposing of her unknown assailant.

“Who was that?” Liara asked.

“Irzia Roni. Assassin I know from ages ago. She never was as quick as I was. She had this habit of being too cocky and letting her guard down. Too bad,” he quipped, washing his hands in the sink within Liara’s apartment.

“How long do you plan to stay?” Liara asked, her voice low.

“I don’t know,” he replied, “ideally, I would have left two weeks ago. It’s just that the attempts have become more frequent and bold. I don’t want to leave you in the open when I assume you have minimal combat training and less experience with trained fighters.”

“I’ve fought before, and you’re right, I have no experience with taking on someone who has been trained to kill.”

“So the answer would be that I will stay as long as I am needed.”

“Right.”

The song and dance between the two of them was getting monotonous between them, like a couple who had grown too comfortable with one another. She still hadn’t determined what that meant yet, but their friendship was still growing and she wanted to see how long it would stay. Liara hadn’t grown too attached to Thane’s presence just yet, as she knew he could leave at any moment, leaving her alone once again. She didn’t mind the prospect of isolation again, but she had come to expect him to be there when she woke up, when she left, when she came home, when she went to bed. He still slept on the couch, but he kept the room tidy, careful not to disrupt the balance of her everyday life, as if he was a piece of furniture in her apartment. Right, furniture that just killed a woman for an attempt at my life. The sun had set hours ago. Liara felt it necessary to change into her “sleeping clothes” as she called it, pulling that one shirt of Shepard’s close to her as she pulled it over her tentacles and head.

“What’s the obsession with that shirt, Dr. T’Soni? You always wear it to bed,” he inquired, hoping she would share some of herself more after he had opened to her.

Liara hesitated. Why does he want to know? Was this some kind of game? Is this really a long con in an effort to gain my trust? Will he try to kill me too? Thane watched the flurry of emotions splay across her face in the seconds it took to ask the question.

“You still think I plan to kill you eventually, don’t you, Dr. T’Soni?” he asked.

“Honestly, I don’t know. My life has changed so much in the last several years, I’m not sure which way is up. This is just an added layer of confusion to not knowing the truth and hoping I’ll be ok in the end,” she explained.

“Don’t worry. I know you still don’t know if you can trust me or not, but you can,” Thane stated, walking to her, “I know you have no way of knowing for certain. You could try information broking a deal about me, but I’m not sure how truthful they would be with you.”

He closed in to hug her, leaving a kiss on the top of her forehead. Liara was oddly comforted by the gesture. Something about it felt safe. Her arms circled him more quickly this time than it had last time. He loosened his hug on her and led her to the couch, sitting on it and pulling her to sit on his lap. The hug resumed, her head tucked under his chin. Liara noted that this made her feel rather childlike, yet she never remembered her mother holding her like this often when she was little. She wasn’t sure what to feel, and it seemed like Thane was also a little uncomfortable holding her that way, even if he thought it would help.

“I’m sorry. I’ve seen other comfort those in their charge that way and I hoped it would work. It seems I just succeeded in making both of us a little unnerved,” he commented, a low throaty laugh escaping his lips. She laughed with him, untucking her head from his chin.

“It’s ok. I think the laughter from the failed attempt helped more than anything,” she replied. Her hands brushed his arms as she steadied herself, getting up and extending her hand to help him up. He sprang up from the couch, his face inches from hers. The heat between them was noticeable, and Liara began to overthink. He made a small move towards her, but not before she turned away from him, a purple blush visible on her face.

“I should go to bed. Goodnight!” she called.

Thane stood in the hallway, as a small smile crept across his lips.


	5. Reassurance

Another month had passed, true monotony returning to Liara’s life. There hadn’t been anymore visible attempts at Liara’s life and Thane’s assurance that she was safe was enough for her trust him. The two settled into a friendship of cohabitation, their daily lives settling into that of a mutual trust. She came to see him as someone to lean on and began to open up, finally telling him about Shepard, losing her, and how retrieving her charred remains had scarred her in a way that she was never sure she would be able to recover from it. He listened to her as she had listened to him, taking in her pain to better understand her. Several nights over that month had ended with her crying, her head in his lap and he stroked her azure tentacles in an attempt to soothe her. Each morning after crying into his lap, she thanked him for allowing him the therapeutic release of being able to tell someone about the bottled up feelings over the loss of Shepard, the only being she had loved outside of her family. She found herself connecting with him, the feeling of loss bringing them together in a way that no one she encountered was able to understand. He murmured words of comfort, soothing her sobs and calming her in a way that helped him as well. She could tell he was surprised that she had gone to retrieve Shepard’s body after it had fallen through an atmosphere of a nearby planet.

“When I went to get her to keep the Shadow Broker from selling her to the Collectors, I had another Drell with me. His name was Feron. He and I had worked together to get Shepard back. I found out much of the way through our encounter that he was a double agent. In a lot of ways, I don’t know his true angle, but I feel responsible for his capture. He yelled to me to get away, and it felt so much like when I left Shepard on the Normandy as it was being ripped apart that I feel guilty for not going back for him. I don’t even know if he’s alive anymore. The Shadow Broker sends me a message from time to time, taunting me. I don’t know if he’s still alive, but he was alive at the time that the videos were shot. The most recent message from him was right before I left for the Citadel,” Liara explained, rattling off the story.

“You have been through a lot. No wonder you felt so conflicted when I initially encountered you two months ago,” Thane commented, continuing to pet her.

“Conflicted is certainly a way of putting it,” Liara gibed, “I would say that refusing to deal with your lover’s death, compounded with a recent friend being captured and likely killed trying to get said lover, so you can turn your lover’s corpse over to a pro-human organization so that you have a chance of your lover being resurrected because you can’t deal with them being dead is certain a form of conflict. Especially when you don’t deal with it for over a year.”

“Well, simplifying it to that degree certainly makes it sound less impactful to the turmoil that you’re going through,” he countered, his hands still running over her head and neck.

Liara sat up, his hand falling from her head, landing behind her back between her and the couch back.

“But it’s the truth,” she stated sternly.

“It may be true, but not dealing with the demons within you is a great way to having them consume you. You were close to such a fate,” he said, his tone low.

“Before you got to know me, I doubt you would have cared as much as you do now,” Liara jabbed as she turned from him, wincing at how harsh the statement sounded.

“I care now,” Thane told her, his hand that wasn’t on her back gently pulling her face back to look at him, “I have so little need for friends that when one comes out of the woodwork, the bond is more intense. I’m certain you would agree.”

“Are you saying that because you assume my isolation is out of not wanting to connect with someone?” she asked, an anger sparking in her.

“I say it because I understand, not because I am trying to upset you. Please do not push me away,” Thane pleaded.

She sighed, realizing that her anger was unwarranted. His hand behind her rested onto her hip, pulling her close as they sat side by side. He released her face, grabbing her hand to pull it to his lips, kissing her palm and each of her fingers before lacing her fingers with his.

“I know you’ve been hurt before too. I know it’s been a long time since you have branched out as well. But why me? What makes me so fascinating?” she asked, resting her head on his shoulder as they sat together.

“In a lot of ways, you remind me of my wife Irikah,” he answered, rubbing his cheek against her tentacles, “she was very bold and independent. She was the light of my life, my siha. She was my reason for living. When she passed… no when she was murdered as a way of getting to me, I broke inside. I threw myself into my work. I ignored my son. I know he hates me, despite not seeing him in years. Yet, while you remind me of Irikah, I know you aren’t her. I just feel like I need to protect you as a way of making up for not protecting her.”

She nodded in acknowledgement, keeping her biting remarks to herself, as pushing against him would only pull him closer. He likes independent, defiant women. I can tell he is growing attached to me, but I don’t know if I’m ready to open to him.

“Do not see this as a proposal to be obligated into entering a relationship with me,” Thane stated out of no where.

“C-can you read my mind?” she asked, clearly unnerved.

“I cannot, but your body language is rather clear,” he replied.

“I am so happy I don’t have work tomorrow. I’m not sure I could handle heading into the office with this conversation plaguing my mind. Not that I am unhappy it happened, but I am going to be focused on it for a while,” she told him.

He pulled his hand out from behind her and got up from the couch. He extended his hand to her in the same way that she had to him over the many nights where they had spoken. Usually, she was pulling him up, but tonight was his turn to hold onto her.

“Come on, you need sleep,” he said after pulling her to her feet, not releasing her hand. He led her to her bedroom, releasing her hand so she could dress herself in her bathroom. He got her a glass of water to drink, setting it next to her bed as he readied her bed for her. She came back in, a different set of bed clothes than the oversized t-shirt that she had absconded from Shepard.

“Not wearing her shirt tonight?” he asked, wondering what had changed her mind.

“No. I want to try to move forward,” she replied, her arms taking him in to hug him as she headed to her bed.

“I see. I hope that is for the best,” he said, a small smile forming.

“Thank you,” she told him as she finished the hug, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

“You’re welcome, Dr. T’Soni,” he replied warmly.

“I think at this point you can call me Liara.”

“Then you’re welcome Liara.”

\------------------------------------------------------

“SHEPARD!” Liara cried out in a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

She sat up, pulling her knees up to her chest, rocking slightly. A moment passed before she heard a faint knock on the door and saw Thane come in.

“Are you ok? I heard you yell,” he inquired, clearly concerned.

Liara opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. Her gaze was transfixed on his body that was usually covered. He only had flowing black pants on, from what she could tell, as he walked across the room to sit on the bed next to her, putting his arm around her. His skin was warm as she noted how very muscled his chest and arms were. Enough of that. Stop it stop it stop it. You just had a nightmare about your dead lover.

“J-just a dream, no a nightmare really, about Shepard. Before I got into the pods, I saw her as she left to find Joker, like I told you. That was the last time I saw her. My nightmares are always about that moment before she leaves me, wishing I could save her in some way. I knew she would never leave Joker behind, but part of me selfishly wishes that she had left him,” she whispered to him, “I’ve never told anyone that.”

“Liara, you cannot let guilt eat at you like this. It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Shepard’s passing has never been and never will be your fault,” he soothed her, rubbing her back.

“I know that, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking it. I can know something and still feel something else. Why is this so hard?” she asked no one.

“Life always tests us. It is the point of our existence.”

“I’m not going to be able to sleep after this. I might as well stay awake,” Liara groaned.

“No, that will just make your situation worse. I will sit with you until you fall asleep,” Thane responded, his arms still around her.

“You don’t have to do that--” she started.

“But I’m going to. You seem most at peace when I am near,” he said, cutting her off, “I will head back to the living room when you fall asleep.”

Liara looked puzzled for a moment, but accepted the gesture, pulling away from his embrace to laid underneath her blankets. She grasped his hand, the roughness of his fingers contrasting the softness of hers in a way she hadn’t noticed before. He sat on the bed next to her, his legs stretched out before him, as he leaned back against the wall that the head of the best was pushed against. He noted that the bed was rather large for just one person, which saddened him, as she likely purchased it with the intent of sharing it with Shepard eventually. As Liara drifted off to sleep, he stayed and watched her. She tossed fitfully for the first bit, but soon settled on her side, her chest facing him. She had a small smile on her face and squeezed his hand, murmuring a sleepy “goodnight” before her breathing slowed and he realized she was asleep. Not long after, he pulled at his hand, trying to unlace his fingers from hers, but she would stir at any point when he attempted to pull away from her to sleep in his own space. At the third attempt, he resigned himself to staying for the rest of the night, as she murmured a “no” with a slight pout. He found the display adorable, especially when she pulled at him in her sleep to laid down instead of sitting up. She woke for short moment, inviting him to sleep next to her. He shrugged, laying next to her above the covers as she draped her arm across his chest, falling back asleep almost immediately. He smiled as he noticed her breathing slowing and soon drifted off himself.

\-------------------------------------------

Liara woke the next morning, feeling more rested than anytime she ever had, even with the nightmare interrupting her sleep. She soon became hyper aware of someone else in her bed, feeling the warm skin under her cheek and she pulled them closer to her.

“G’morning, love,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against the warm body.

“I don’t think I’m who you think I am, but good morning, Liara,” Thane murmured back, sleep still hazing him.

“O...oh,” Liara realized, her face turning a deep purple, “I-I, uh, hello.” Liara untangled herself from Thane’s half-asleep form and got up, quickly steeling herself away to the bathroom, quickly locking the door behind her.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Thane called after her, half-audible through the door.

“Why would I have any reason to be embarrassed?” she asked through the door, the blush creeping down her neck.

“Oh,” he stated, looking down at his half-naked form, smiling at the door, “no reason.”

“So I have no reason to be embarrassed?” she asked, completely unsure as to if she could trust him.

“No reason at all,” he stated, “now, come back out and talk to me.”

“I… ok,” she said, resigning herself to dealing with the embarrassment.

He patted the bed next to him. Instead of sitting there, near his feet, she sat next to him where she had been sleeping. He offered his hand to her and she took it, rubbing her fingers against his.

“So, why did you run as soon as you realized I was in here?” he asked, trying to gauge her reaction. She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve.

“What was the question? Oh right, uh. Because before Shepard, I had never had a lover, ever and despite being with her for a while, I am unaccustomed to waking up with someone in my bed?” she replied, unsure of her answer.

“I see. But I am not your lover. I was here to comfort you and because while you slept, you refused to let me leave and when I tried, you grumpily bade me to lay next to you,” he explained.

“I...I oh. That happened?” she asked, the blush soon returning. He nodded at her slowly. “So I asked you to stay with me?” He nodded again.

“You act like I’m going to be angry with you. Did Shepard do something to make you think that embarrassment would be responded to with anger?” he asked, concerned.

“No! Never! I just… like I’ve been telling you: this is all very different for me,” she explained, “I like you. I do. I just don’t know what I want.”

“Isn’t that the case with all women?” he asked, smiling.

“No, not all women,” she responded, smacking his arm, “I’m just getting used to how comfortable I am with a person who, two and a half months ago, was in the process of being paid to kill me.”

“Life is strange like that,” he countered, resting his head against hers.


	6. Thankful

The playful flirting continued over the next few weeks, a lazy back and forth. Since the first kiss she gave him in thanks, they had been limited to the hand, cheek and forehead. Liara was still hesitant, afraid to let go of the chance that Cerberus would succeed and Shepard would be with her again. He had recently moved to sleeping in the same room as her, in her bed, yet not in the same set of blankets. Yet, the flow of life with Thane felt like it could sustain itself in case that never became a reality. She wasn’t so much afraid of letting someone else in as she was of letting go of the hope that Shepard could return. She knew the odds were stacked so heavily against her heart that she really should move on, but a small tug was all she needed to keep her holding out hope that Shepard would return, in some way. Thane, however, was providing a very real distraction to her. In an odd way, he was helping heal her, giving her something solid to relate to, to touch, to hold. He could respond to her in a way that Shepard never would be able to anymore. Maybe, I should let go to the idea. Maybe, she will come back. Maybe, I seal away a small part of my heart so it always belongs to her no matter who else is around so I always have those memories of her with me, even if she isn’t. She knew that she would always carry a torch for Shepard, but she never realized how strong that feeling would be. No one had prepared her for the idea that someone she loved would die.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as his arms slid around her, startling her back into reality.

“What were you thinking about, siha?” Thane asked, an endearing purr in his tone.

She smiled at him behind her, “oh nothing. Just lost in thought.”

He rested his head next to hers, asking, “what should we do today? You don’t have to go anywhere, do you?”

“I just have to ensure my paperwork is in order for Nyxeris to catalogue later next week, but otherwise, no. I’m free for whatever we may do,” she replied, rubbing her head against his.

“I have an idea then. Get dressed,” he requested.

\-------------------------------------------------

The long blue and black dress covered her fully, flattering in just the right places. It was not the normal cut that she tended to choose, but had a few peek holes cut out on her back, chest, and stomach. Thane looked at her appreciatively, noting the beautiful blue skin peeking out from beneath the dark blue and black cloth.

“You look beautiful,” he beamed at her with a smile that could light up the sun.

“Thanks,” she told him, her eyes downcast for a moment, her face turning purple, “you look rather nice yourself.” She noted that he had found an all black outfit with sleek pants that tapered with his legs, boots adorning his feet and a sleek jacket that matched the pants. It didn’t look much different than his normal attire, but the lack of silver accenting made it stand out against his warm, green and yellow skin.

Liara tried not to focus on anything in particular regarding their meal, as she was just enjoying being with Thane and learning how to crawl out the of the emotional hole she had made for herself, and move forward. But not move on. Moving forward seemed less permanent than moving on. Moving on seems like you’re leaving something… someone behind. His hand covered hers towards the end of dinner and she smiled at him. After finishing eating, he led her out, grasping for her hand again after they had left the confines of the building.

“The stars tonight,” he marveled, looking above.

“They sure are beautiful,” she stated in a wistful tone.

“How many times have you flown off Ilium since… in the last year or so?” he asked.

“Just the one time to the Citadel.”

“Come on then, I want to show you something.”

He led her along to a nearby building, one of the tallest in the city.

“Why are we going here?” she asked.

“Once we get to the top, you’ll see.”

The elevator ride to the roof was one of the longest she had been on. Well, at least since going to the Citadel Tower. She smirked.

“Something funny, siha?” he asked.

“Oh, just remembering all the elevators I rode on the Citadel. It really isn’t funny unless you have spent countless rides going up and down from the docking bay to the Citadel Tower to the Wards.”

“Maybe one day.”

Their ride came to a stop, and they stepped onto the roof, the air chilly with the slight cross wind. The light of the streets barely made it up this high and the sky was lit up.

“Without all of the city light, you can actually see how bright each star is up here. Well, without leaving the atmosphere,” he commented, coming up from behind her to hug her.

“It’s beautiful up here,” she marveled, turn around to face him, “thank you for showing me.”

“I wasn’t sure how much you would like it, considering it seems rather trite with space travel and all.”

“No, it’s perfect.” She leaned in, sealing her lips to his. The heat of his body was pressed against her as he pulled her closer, one hand finding the small of her back while the other caressed her arm. She opened her mouth, deepening the kiss, and felt this familiar sensation wash over her, like her skin was vibrating. He pulled away from her, licking his lips.

“Where did that come from?” he asked.

“It felt right.”

“What a reason for a kiss.”

“Sometimes doing what feels right is the only reason we keep going.”

He hugged her close as she laid her cheek on his chest.

“I’ve had a wonderful time to tonight. Definitely one of my favorite things so far in my 107 years.”

“That good, huh?”

“Certainly up there.”

\---------------------------------------------------------

It was some time before they finally came down from the roof. They spent over an hour, pointing out stars to one another, naming constellations and stories from each of their heritages. The pressures of life seemed to melt away on that rooftop, from the kisses to the laughter to the stories. The two of them found themselves back at Liara’s apartment as the evening progressed, still full of mirth from after dinner. Once in the confines of the apartment, Thane pushed Liara up against the door, his lips pressed to hers fiercely, and she opened her mouth to his, pulling him to her. The kiss soon broke, each of them gasping.

“Where did that come from?” she asked in a sultry tone.

“It felt right,” he countered with a smile.

“We probably shouldn’t get too carried away,” he reminded her.

“The least you can do is sleep under the blankets tonight,” she stated, a slight plead in her voice.

“I think that can be arranged.” He flashed her a smile as they parted, heading to the bedroom to dress for bed. He slipped into his loose, flowing pants, forgoing the shirt, as the blankets would keep him warm enough with Liara there. Liara left the bathroom in a tighter exercise top and a pair of panties.

“Not leaving much to the imagination tonight I see,” he purred at her.

“Quiet you. You’re like a furnace much of the time so I doubt I’m going to need anything more than this.”

“Like you’ll even need what you have on,” he said to himself.

“What?”

“Oh nothing. Come on, in bed with you.”

\------------------------------------------------------

Liara woke late in the morning, surprised to be alone. She turned over, searching the empty space where Thane had laid the night before, holding her as she drifted off to sleep. The two of them had agreed to wait on anything physical beyond kissing after a quick foray into intimacy had sent Liara into a fit of tears. It didn’t stop either of them of sharing the warmth and comfort of not sleeping alone though. While she had started her healing process finally, bits and pieces were not making the connection to move forward and to stop focusing on what had happened. She could feel her adoration and friendship with Thane swell and grow, but this roadblock was proving to be something that could not be forced. To her overwhelming relief, Thane had been nurturing and kind, like he always had with her, holding her as she explained her sadness. He did not feel slighted by her need to hold on to the one love she had experienced, instead telling her to take as much time as she needed, content in the time he did spend with her. He had spent ten years mourning his wife. Liara was just beginning her process. He knew it would take time, but he was confident in her ability to do what was best for her, on her own time. He had grown to respect her so when he came back from the bathroom as he toweled off his hands, he couldn’t help but smile at the pout she was directing at his side of the bed, as if she expected him to be there.

“Do you think I will reappear if you intently enough,” he inquired with a small chuckle.

She jumped a bit, the look of sulk disappearing as she realized he had been watching her. She rolled to her back, laughing as she covered her face with her arms.

“You always catch me at my least graceful of times,” she said smiling, her own laughter matching his, “one of these days, you’re going to walk in and I will have food hanging out of my mouth.”

“That happened last week.”

She scowled at him mockingly, throwing a pillow at him from across the room. He dodged, despite her aim being way off, finding his way back into bed with her. His saccharine and purposely overindulgent display of affection towards he as he hugged her, while she struggled to get away just dissolved into fits of giggles and laughter. The affection lost its dramatic and exaggerated overtones, settling into genuine affection and support.

“Ya know, despite where we started, I’m happy you’re here,” she told him, rubbing her cheek against his.

“Life is strange like that. This also makes you the second woman to catch my attention either as or in front of a target.” He chuckled, despite the darkness of the comment.

“I’m not sure if I should question how you meet women or not,” she replied dryly.

“You shouldn’t. I don’t expect to find another anytime soon,” he said, giving her a squeeze.

She smiled into his chest, as as thankful as she was to have met him, she knew that she was having a helpful impact on him as well. She had seen him smile more in the months since he had come to stay with her, protecting her, both from physical and emotional demons. Her influence on him was more subtle. She noticed him relaxing more, as he was likely unable to do much of that as he lead a life of an assassin, meditating and practicing skills, yet also just taking in the world. She had gathered from his fragmented discussions on his past that this had been the most peaceful time he had spent in a while, as he was usually going from hit to hit, a distraction from reality.


	7. Solace

Reality is becoming too real. Liara rubbed her eyes, staring at the screen. The list of information from a valuable client was staggering, overwhelming. How could I ever sort through all of this? She softly hit her forehead against the desk, alarming Nyxeris into asking what was wrong.

“Too much informationnnnnn,” she whined, gesturing to the screen, “it’s like this salarian what’s to tell her life story. I just want to know what would be important so I could sell it.”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. Is there any way I can help?” Nyxeris asked.

“Hold my calls until I finish. This is seriously going to take me the rest of the day.”

“Understood.”

Liara trudged through the transcript, picking out valuable pieces that she could sell to the highest bidder, whether that be the Shadow Broker’s agent, a mercenary, or who ever present the most credits to her. As she categorized the varying information, she read something that stopped her cold.

“I broke into the Cerberus lab. They were doing an experiment on a person. She had bright red hair. Her face looked like no human I had ever seen. It looked like most of her skin had been removed on what parts of her body were exposed. A white sheet covered most of her, but the ligaments, muscle, tissue, everything were exposed. I don’t know what to make of it. I thought they were pro-human. Why would they need to dissect someone?”

Liara stared at the screen, dumbstruck. I know Miranda said they were working on it, but I didn’t think they were this close.

She activated her omni-tool, typing in Miranda’s name. The call connected, her face popping up on the screen that came up.

“Miranda, I hear that Tezdan Lele broke into the facility where you have Shepard...’s body,” she said, concerned.

“Well, hello to you too, Liara. Run that by me again?”

“I just gathered some information. That information said that a female salarian broke into your facility where the Lazarus Project is at. She claimed to have seen what you have of Shepard. IS what she said true?” Liara asked, slightly hopeful.

“What did she say she saw?” Miranda inquired.

“The transcript says, ‘She had bright red hair. Her face looked like no human I had ever seen. It looked like most of her skin had been removed on what parts of her body were exposed. A white sheet covered most of her, but the ligaments, muscle, tissue, everything were exposed.’ Is it true?”

A few moments passed before Miranda spoke again.

“That was a few weeks ago. Obviously, we don’t acknowledge that our facility was broken into, but what she saw is correct. If only she hadn’t killed several of our guards in the process. With o few people still believing in the project, it’s hard to get actual security to sign on. We’ve moved to mechs as guards. They aren’t perfect, but in a pinch, they are lethal,” Miranda explained, “by this time, we have a full security of them on staff with extras in wait should an attack could happen.”

“I know you told me that she…. Shepard was unconscious but ‘alive’ in the most technical of ways before, but would I be able to visit her?” Liara asked quietly, “I’ve been coming to terms with her death, with the help of a person, and I think I’m ready to see her.”

Miranda thought for a moment.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Liara,” she stated, “with what Thane tells me--”

“Thane? How do you know about him?” Liara asked, cutting her off.

“That is none of your concern. Don’t look too much into it, Liara,” Miranda started.

“Don’t look too much into it? How can I not?” she sniped at her, exasperated. Liara ended the call on her omni-tool, too annoyed to continue speaking with a woman only tell her half of the story. She couldn’t tell if she was more mad at Miranda, considering she didn’t know how she knew Thane, or Thane for not mentioning this sooner. She cut off her call with Miranda, refusing to speak with her further.

Liara headed home from the office, packing her datapads in a haste, bidding Nyxeris farewell for the evening. She came through the door, fury painted across her face.

“Is there something wrong, siha?” Thane asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“You best believe something is wrong. Miranda is talking about you. Why? How do you know her? This isn’t some crazy jealousy thing. This is a how do you know her thing. Explain yourself,” Liara demanded, throwing his hand off her.

“Since there is no reason in hiding it further, she is the reason why I am here. She recruited me to keep an eye on you. After you infiltrated the Shadow Broker’s facility to be able to retrieve Shepard, she wanted to know that you wouldn’t betray them. With how close you were to Shepard, she didn’t figure you would, but she wanted to be sure. I’ve known minor details about you since the beginning, but she sent me to you,” he explained, “I kept you safe when the Shadow Broker was sending his allies after you. To make you pay for humiliating him. For taking Shepard from him and losing him a pile of credits. You’re worth more to Miranda alive than dead because she knows that without you, Shepard may be difficult to control, considering her boss doesn’t want Shepard’s mind altered in any way if they are able to bring her back. So when Shepard comes back, if she comes back, she will be the woman you loved… and you will have no use for me.”

Despite the smoulder she felt during his admission, the last line slapped her in the face. Until this point, she hadn’t considered how he would feel about Shepard coming back, if it was even possible.

“So, at the beginning, you were being paid by Miranda to protect me,” she stated.

“Correct.”

“And since then? Has this all been some act to keep me close so you can keep your eye on me?” she questioned, unsure if she wanted to know the answer as her emotions were running high already.

“No. Everything since coming to Ilium after her orders has been made up as I went along. Enchanting you was not part of the plan. Inadvertently helping you through your issues of losing your lover was not part of the plan. I did not set out to humiliate you if that’s what you’re asking. Anything regarding feelings was not negotiated before heading here.”

He held his hand out to her, hoping she would take it. He was relieved when she did and he bade her to come close to him, pulling her in for a hug.

“Everything is out on the table now, siha,” Thane told her, attempting to calm the both of them with the intimacy, “I did not mean to deceive you.”

She was torn. With the lack of experience in dealing with relationships, she wanted to just stay in his arms and melt into the comforting embrace. A small piece of her nagged at the idea that he had spent months not telling her what was really going on. That piece was soon silenced, as she came to terms that he cared for her, more than just a friend, and deep down, he was afraid of losing her. She knew that he thought she would leave him if Shepard woke up. She would go back to what she had and he would have nothing again, like the previous ten years had been for him. A pang of guilt struck her as she grasped that he had kept it from her in an effort to keep himself from being immersed in the pain again of losing his… lover? No, too presumptuous. They hadn’t consummated whatever this was yet. Yet. That hit her harder than the survivor’s guilt ever did. She always had gathered that he was holding off from consummating for the sake of her mental stability. Part of it has to do with him not wanting to become too attached. She kissed his chest.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke into his chest, muffled.

“What was that?” he asked, looking forward. She noted that he didn’t meet her eyes as she looked up at him, and she saw a set of tear tracks drying on his face.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, reaching up to wipe the tracks from his face, pulling his face down to hers, kissing him, “just, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry for keeping this from you, siha.”

“Here, this has been enough for now. Nothing is going to be resolved at this point in the evening. We’ve been talking about this back and forth for a few hours now.”

“It’s only dusk.”

“Just come to bed,” Liara pleaded, “I know it’s too early to sleep, but I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

She pulled herself from his arms, grabbing his hand. He followed her into her bedroom, though it was just as much his in the last few months. She dropped his hand, continuing to pad her way across the floor of the room as she unzipped her dress and pulled it over her head. He was surprised at the boldness of her nudity, yet took in as much of the sapphire skin as he could, considering he hadn’t seen so much of it on display before. She pulled a shirt over her head, looking at him from over her shoulder.

“Are you going to get ready for bed?” she inquired, throwing a bed shirt at him.

“I… I suppose I will,” he stammered, wondering why the sudden change in her.

Liara climbed into bed, pulling back the covers for the both of them. He pulled on his shirt after changing out his clothes, pulling on the loose pair of pants he wore for bed. He was still confused at her changing in front of him, as her modesty hadn’t ever been as casual as such. He sat on the bed, soon climbing in all the way. She pulled the blanket over them, cuddling up to his chest.

“Siha?”

“Yes?”

“Is you not wanting to talk about it mean you’re waiting until tomorrow to break up or whatever we would do to end what we currently have?” he asked, his voice uneven. Her eyes widened in shock.

“Why would you think that?”

“Because usually when you’re mad about something, you wait until the morning to make a decision on it. My withheld information really upset you, so I figure you’re just waiting it out.”

“What? No. I’m angry, but I’m not unreasonable. This is just a lesson in what not to do. Don’t tell me you’ve been hired by the woman in charge of bringing my dead lover back to life. It makes things complicated.”

She laughed nervously. She was surprised at how well he was able to read her, despite only knowing her for a few months of her rather short lifespan. The only person who had known her long enough to pick up on those kind of nuances was her mother… and well, she hadn’t been the most attentive. Politics wreck havoc on a family unit, no matter what the species. She shook the thought from her mind as she realized he was clinging to her.

“You were really worried that might put a rift between us, weren’t you?” she asked, cradling him.

“Worry is not an emotion I feel often, so it is difficult to deal with,” he replied, his voice still wavering from before.

“I bet---”

She was cut off by his lips sealing onto hers. He normally wasn’t so forward with his advances, but she could sense a frantic need at the base of his movements that would have been lost on most others. She gave in to him, kissing him back and opening her mouth. The relaxation of her muscles after his initial movement towards her allowed him to push her back into the plush of the bed. She was reminded of the night she had spent with Shepard and… No, this isn’t about her. Don’t think about her right now.

“Are you all right?” he asked, pulling back from her, “your whole body just tensed.”

“I-I’m fine. It’s just been a while,” she assured him, pulling his mouth back to hers.

The second kiss was less frantic, more delicate. He sensed that something had set her off but was surprised that she wished to continue. As their kissed deepened and heat traveled throughout the both of them, her body began to move against his, causing her to feel small ripples of pleasure. They weren’t unlike what she had felt by herself or with Shepard before, but it was different. The rough calluses of his fingers tugged at her hip, pulling at the waist of her panties as he kissed her again, the pace quickening as it continued. Liara found herself getting wrapped up in the moment, giving in to the touches that felt so familiar. As they each lay on their side, they pulled at one another’s clothes, and Liara soon regretted putting some back on. Not like I knew I would be taking them offfffffffff~

Thane’s hand had gone unnoticed until then, having worked itself into her panties, his arm pulling them down as he stroked the outer folds of her heat. The moan that rose from her throat made him smile into their kiss as he moved to position himself above her. He moved away from her mouth, a trail of kisses making their way down her neck, sucking lightly on the soft flesh. Her moan sounded vaguely animalistic as he continued to work his fingers over the outer reaches of her sex, gently probing in as he legs squirmed themselves apart.

He kissed his way down past her neck, nipping at her breast through her shirt, smiling as she squeaked a bit. Withdrawing his hand, he pushed her legs completely apart, moving himself between them to, while clothed, position himself above her, leaning down to kiss her again, putting some of his weight on her. To her advantage, she slid her free hands up his shirt, over the taut muscles, and pulled the shirt up over his head, discarding it to the floor. He gave her a quizzical look and she gave a slight shrug, pulling him down for another kiss, sliding her own tongue against his. She took the opportunity to pull his abdomen closer to her using her legs, and she felt a discernable hardness pressed against her. Oh. OH. He was able to see the purplish blush dance across her face as she realized what she had felt, but was soon overtaken by the asari administering her own form of “torture” as she realized that he enjoyed very much when said hardness was touched. One of her hands had made its way down from his arms and chest to move along the length of the shaft, his arms tensing as he swelled further and pushed into her hand.

I’m not sure how long either of us is going to last tonight with his dry spell and my inexperience with males. The thought soon left her as he ground his hardness into her sex, despite the thin layers of clothing that separated them. She removed her hand, slipping each of her thumbs beneath the hem of her panties. She pushed him back so she could remove them and he took the cue to remove his own pants. Their adolescent fumbling as their clothes came off would have been borderline adorable to anyone watching. With fewer clothes, he found his way back between her legs, one hand holding himself up as he stimulated her with the other. He found a hard ridge with a sensitive nub underneath that drove her wild when he touched it. She gave in to his attentions, lifting herself to kiss at the frill on his neck when she felt something blunter, more rigid, at her entrance. She stopped for a second.

“Is this ok, siha?” he rasped, his voice low.

“Yes,” she replied in the same tone.

Pressure built as he pushed into her. He gasped once he slid all the way in as she inhaled sharply. Well, this is different. He steadied himself, moving his mouth back to hers, his lips grazing her neck as he came back up. His lips locked with hers and he withdrew a bit, his tongue tracing her lips as he pushed back in, her back constricting as it arched up to him just a bit. Each shallow thrust became easier as she relaxed, becoming lost in feeling. He closed the gap of space between them, laying his weight on her, his arms pulling her hips higher and locking her knees around his elbows, allowing for a less shallow thrust. He kissed her, distracting her and pushing her into deeper throes of pleasure, running his hands up her sides and over her ribs.

Her brain swam in the sensations, in the pool building in her belly as it grew warmer, allowing her to just feel and move with the sensations. Minutes passed as she gave in, his pace stayed steady, but he found himself pushing deeper, the ridges sending waves of pleasure through both of them.

Liara found herself slowly becoming overwhelmed with the feeling building in her belly as a sensation soon washed over her, calming and euphoric. Thane felt her shudder her release though he wasn’t near release himself, he untangled her legs from his arms, withdrawing himself from her to pull her close, kissing the crest of her head.

“But you didn’t…” She trailed off, a little out of breath.

“No matter. We’ll have more time again. Don’t want to push you too far too fast,” he replied, cuddling her up close. She murmured to him, her washes of pleasure soon turning to pangs of fatigue as he held her, drifting off to sleep himself.


	8. Return to Memory

The following morning, she rolled, wincing as her body ached, muscles sore. I’m not used to that. Not like that at least, she thought with a smile. Once again, she woke alone, her face displaying the annoyance. She rolled back, enduring the protest of her muscles as she rolled back into the warmth of her side of the bed. Tracing a small set of circles on the sheets, she wondered what last night meant in the grand scheme of things. I didn’t meld with him. Everything was purely physical. Which was odd. I mean, I know about alien physiology, but it’s still different from my own. That ridge on his pha---- She was interrupted from her thoughts when he came back into the room, pants slung low on his hips. She blushed as she dismissed her thoughts of the previous night from her mind.

“What are you smiling about so soon after waking?” he asked, admiring her face.

“You,” she replied, extending her hand to bid him to join her. He grasped her hand and was surprised at her pulling him off balance, yelping as she giggled. She pulled him close, throwing the blanket back over the both of them, as the temperature outside it was just a bit below what she would tolerate in her current state of dress. He smiled at her, leaving a new trail of kisses across her cheek as he held her close.

“Me huh?” he retorted, giving her a quick squeeze, “why me?”

“You know why.”

“You’re being coy. Like you--- you have joined with someone before, right? I assumed with Shepard…” He trailed off as blank stare took over his features.

“Shepard and I… joined, yes, but in a different way. Her physiology is very similar to mine. If you are asking if that was the first time I had experienced--” It was her turn to trail off as she swallowed her words.

“Oh. OH.” He looked away from her as his cheeks flushed a deeper shade of green, the red frill of his neck a deep shade of crimson.

“It’s always good to know that two adults can be brought to the same level of communication as two blushing adolescents,” she remarked, going back to hug him.

He held her loosely, his arm resting on her shoulder. She poked at his stomach. Why is he back to staring again? He jumped slightly, reciprocating her hug. She moved to prompt herself up with her arms, looking down at him.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she inquired, running a hand along his face. His lips moved but she didn’t hear anything come out. She moved closer until his lips brushed the skin of her neck, making her shiver slightly.

“Did I hurt you?”

She heard it so faintly that she couldn’t believe that he would ask if she was in pain from the night before. Sure, my muscles ache from not being used to it, but pain, no. She then realized her inner dialogue did him no good.

“No,” she breathed into his neck in the same manner in which he asked her, “last night, while full of firsts, was incredible and by far one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve physically felt.”

He seemed to relax at the admission, and relief washed over her. To think this all happened because he was afraid of losing me.

\--------------------------------------

“Ma’am, you seems to be in a good mood,” Nyxeris remarked as Liara beamed, “that Drell still hanging around?”

“Yes,” Liara replied, trying to be elusive, “he’s been guarding my every step.”

“Just your steps, Ma’am?” Nyxeris asked, a playful tone in her voice.

“Oh look! I have an appointment!” Liara diverted playfully, when in reality the client wouldn’t be ready for the next few minutes. She still wanted to avoid the conversation entirely, as she believed these matters were private, despite what society thought.

The thought left her as the client called ahead of schedule. His most pressing concern was the rate in which he would be paid for the valuable information he would bestow on her. Yes, your knowledge of abnormal hanar mating rituals is very interesting. No, I don’t pay a lot for them. Her mocking continued in her mind as she recorded the call, hoping for something useful.

“Oh. That Alliance vessel that was attacked over a year ago, the one the famed Commander Shepard died on, yeah, I have information on that too,” he gloated, well aware of her presence on the ship at the time of the attack. She feigned mild interest while her mind screamed at her to demand of him what he knew. The turian tried to read her, but considering she barely flinched at the admission, he wasn’t sure what he would get out of telling her.

“I’m listening,” she said coldly, her voice attempting to stay steady.

“It was a Collector vessel,” he stated, matter-of-factly, shining the armor on his forearm, waiting for her to respond. That would explain why the Collectors were trying to take Shepard’s body after it had… fallen.

“Yes, that has already been established already.”

“What do you mean ‘it’s been established already”? Last I checked, the assailant was still unknown. You’re not going to get out of paying me for this,” he threatened.

“What makes you think I didn’t already know who it was considering I was ON the ship when it was attacked?” she steamed, her temper starting to flare, “I remember what I saw as the escape pod flew away. Wouldn’t you think I would have researched it?”

“Then why isn’t it widely known?” he asked with a sneer. Because I wasn’t sure I really believed what I saw.

“Credits will be transferred, sir. Do not contact me again on this topic,” she stated sternly as she ended the call. She rubbed her forehead as she felt a headache coming on.

“Nyxeris, transfer appropriate credits to him. I don’t wish to do business with him again though.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Nyxeris chirped, punching in the appropriate funds for the transaction.

Liara opened up a vid comm link, speaking into it.

“Miranda Lawson, please.”

A few seconds passed before Miranda’s face came on the screen.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Dr. T’Soni?” Miranda asked, not looking up from her desk.

“What kind of vessel hit the Normandy SR-1 when it was attacked?” Liara asked, hoping to confirm what she had seen with what the Turian had told her.

“Everything we know shows it was a Collector ship, which makes sense as to why they were after Shepard’s body before you got to it,” Miranda confirmed, finally looking up to greet her.

“Well, I think that’s what I thought I saw, but why now, when it’s been almost a year and a half since the attack, would someone try to rattle me with information about it?” Liara asked, unsure as to why she was trusting her insecurity with a woman she only knew on a business end.

“Look at your position, Liara. There have been multiple assassin’s after you, including the one we initially sent to protect you, though you have your own way of thanking him,” Miranda stated, noting the slight blush coupled with the lack of eye contact from Liara, “it could be he’s another working for the Shadow Broker who is trying to catch you off guard.”

Liara nodded, seeming to piece together what Miranda was saying with what she already knew.

“Shepard’s doing well, by the way. She’ll be happy to know you asked about her,” Miranda stated as she ended the call. Liara laid her head on her desk as soon as the call ended.

“Nyxeris, why must she call me at the absolute worst times?” Nyxeris sat silently, shrugging.

Ugh.

\-------------------------------------

The rest of the day seemed to drag, considering Miranda mentioned Shepard after, what she felt, like she had cheated on her. I didn’t know they would actually be able to bring her back. But… they have, somehow. I don’t know how. I just know that I need to make the trip to see her. Soon. Well. As soon as I can. She didn’t say if she was awake yet though. I think she may still be in the forced coma state that the Salarian mentioned before. Liara’s thoughts raced on her way to the taxi, to the point where she didn’t notice that she was more than halfway home before she snapped out of them. She grumbled and laid her head against the window of the taxi, a smudge marring the interior. I really hope that Thane has dinner taken care of.

The ride up the elevator seemed to last forever. I’ve been on elevators on the Citadel that took less time, and they went to the Citadel Tower. Stepping out of the glass doors put her on her floor, and she strode over to her door. Punching her code into the keypad, she made her way into her apartment, slipping off her shoes and dropping her bag to the floor by the wall. I’ll get the datapad later. Work can wait until I have a moment to decompress. Her brow furrowed when she realized that Thane wasn’t there to greet her at the door. She looked around the room, searching for a clue that would tell her of his whereabouts. His few belongings are here.

She glanced over to find her monitor blinking, a video message waiting for her. Hitting play, Thane’s face appeared on the screen.

“Siha, I have been called away on a job. I should return in a few days.”

The message was no more than a few seconds. She frowned, wondering who would send him off. It would be cruel of Miranda to send him off when she claims to know what she knows. She thought about calling the Cerberus operative, but thought better of it, as it would only create more question and give fewer answers than she was hoping for. Complication is not what I need right now. She gave out a heavy sigh, fiddling with the clasps of her dress before dropping it to the floor and bending to pick it up. She made her way to the bedroom, discarding it in the laundry pile, throwing her panties in there as well. Her grumbles continued, but as she found herself naked, she turned to the bathroom, eyeing the bathtub. Few had the space or the luxury to be able to have a bathing tub anymore, especially in the larger cities. She turned the water on, the faucet pouring warm water into the basin of the tub. 

Leaving the bathroom, she returned to the living room, reaching into her bag to retrieve her datapad. She clicked the screen on, staring at the surface intently as she made her way back to the bathroom, slipping one foot, then another into the filling tub, her feet warmed by the hot water. She lowered herself into the water, the warmth enveloping her as the waterline lapped at her curves, her breasts peeking out of the water as she attempted to get comfortable in the tub. The angle of the back of the tub sloped with her back, allowing her to relax her shoulders as there weren’t pressure points from the tub like several others that she had experienced in the past. Her grumbles faded as she went slack against the back of the tub, lifting a leg so it hung outside, controlling the temperature of her body in case she got too warm. She pressed her fingers against the touch screen of the datapad, scrolling through statements from recent conversations. She studied the conversation, and she found herself mouthing the words as she read them. 

She had scrolled through more than she had anticipated when she noticed the water had cooled and she had grown hungry. Using her feet, she manipulated the buttons of the faucet, setting the tub to drain out the cooled water to make room for the fresh, hot water. I wish there was a way for me to get food, without getting out, so I could eat in here and stay warm. Liara ignored her hunger in favor of the warmth, studying up on her clients for the following day as several of them were ones she hadn’t dealt with before. She sent a message to Nyxeris over the extranet, thanking her, and forwarding the list of new clients that had contacted her for information trade. Closing the messaging client on her datapad, she set it down outside the tub, slinking herself down into the warm water after deactivating the buttons that had been activated to fill it. The warmth of the hot water washed over her as she submerged her head. She ran her hands over her head, and turned so she could stand, grabbing a towel from the rack outside the tub. She dried off the beads of water as she left the basin, pressing the button the drain out the cooling water. Leaving the towel on the rack, she picked up the datapad again, taking it with her to her bed.

Pulling her blankets up over her, she propped herself up with a pillow. The datapad clicked on again as her finger pushed the power button, her previous document springing to life as soon as the screen turned on. I never realized how quiet it is here… Liara sighed, falling into the pillows at her annoyance melted into the bed. Her datapad flashed, indicating a message had been sent to her private communication link. Minimizing the app which contained the transcript, she opened her message client and worry washed over her.  
Siha, I won’t be back as soon as I thought. I will return when I can.

He left the message unsigned, causing her to worry further. I could message him back, but that would risk his cover being blown if he’s hiding and the light starts blinking. Though, if he does this professionally, you would think that he would know to turn the notification off. Her thought process meandered into inanity, considering she had gone from being worried about her lover to wondering if he changed how his message notification came in within seconds. She chose to push the thoughts of worry from her mind, leaving her to hope that he would in fact return as soon as he could and grant her reprieve from the isolation and quiet that she used to embrace. Now, after growing used to his presence over the last several months, she found the silence daunting, pulling at the fibres of her mind in a way that only would end in a loss of sanity. She groaned in frustration, shutting her datapad off in a huff. Why is this bothering me so much? Unable to concentrate on her piles of data in her transcript, she absently set the datapad down, leaving it until morning. 

\--------------------------------------

She awoke the next morning, thankful for a ‘day off’ from going in to work. Doesn’t stop the work from following me though. The datapad lay on the empty half of the bed, just below the pillow where Thane usually lay. Considering he had just left the day before, she was surprised that his part of the bed was cold, instead of being recently warm from his sleep. She got up to not find him in the living room, meditating while facing the window. He’ll be back soon, she told herself, it will be like he was never gone. Yet, his prompt departure still gnawed at her. She didn’t know where he had gone. She had no idea of when he would return or if… he would. She pushed that thought away, instead focusing on how happy she would be when he returned. The previous months had been the happiest she had encountered since Shepard’s death, and to find them suddenly gone, like a sun setting, she hoped for the moon to finish it’s journey across the sky so she could have her sun again. Ugh, that sounds so trite. 

Not particularly interested in dressing, yet not sure of where he day might take her, she took a quick shower. The hot water streamed down her skin as the soap bubbled and attempted to wash away her questions, insecurities, and worry. She found herself steaming up the glass that separated her from the shower and the rest of the bathroom, her hand wiping away the steam fogging the glass. She toweled herself off once she finished, careful to ensure that beads of water wouldn’t be able to cause her clothes to catch on her skin. She mumbled to no one about her options of clothing, settling on something more sleek and form fitting that her usual dresses. Dressing for comfort, she pulled the boots up to her knees, securing the seam of the zipper. She wiggled in her clothes, allowing them to settle in the right places so as not to cause chafing, preparing for her day. Despite needing to eat, she wasn’t hungry, so she dismissed it, saving it for another time. 

She settled on the couch, propping her feet on the short table in front of her. She set her water tube next to her, putting her nutrition bar into her lap for when she got hungry later. The datapad chirped with new messages as she turned it on, blinking. She only found two.

Siha, I am well. I should return sooner than I anticipated after my last communication.

She smiled. Short and sweet. Liara opened the other message, surprised by it’s sender.

Liara,   
Noticed you hadn’t come by in a while. Just want to make sure you’re ok.  
~A

It had been quite some time since she had wandered into Eternity, and even longer since the bartender had contacted her. Liara figured she would make an effort to at least go down and chat. Something nagged at her though. What was it about her that interested this Matriarch so much? She set herself to dig, opening a new extranet browser on her datapad. She punched in ‘Eternity bar, Ilium’ into the search, pulling up the asari’s name: Aethyta. Something about it seemed familiar, yet she couldn’t place it. From there, she used her name to put in searches about her. Parents, jobs, political leanings, previous partners. A pile of information lay at her fingertips; it was just up to her to figure out what to do with it all. Father was krogan. Could explain why she’s spending her Matriarch years tending bar instead of being a political leader or consultant. She thumbed through more information. Jobs listed were run of the mill for just about any asari: stripper, bartender, escort. The article over her political leanings was short, like she didn’t care for them much. Moving to the previous partners surprised her mostly because of the length. She had many children. Hanar, Turian, Krogan, Asari…? The asari child listed her as the “father” of the child. Further searches didn’t bring up any kind of conclusion as to who the mother was, but Liara kept digging. Her intrigue was getting the better of her and while she thought she was right about her feelings regarding this, she needed affirmation. It wasn’t like she could confirm it from her mother… anymore. She probed further and found nothing on the child or the mother. She slumped back into the couch, annoyed at her lack of spontaneous progress. Oh well. Maybe I could ask her. She grabbed her water, protein bar and datapad, bundled them up into her bag and quickly left, hoping to catch the asari at the bar. 

\--------------------------------------

She was disappointed that the bar was closed, but came to realize it was only mid-day. I doubt Ilium has that many raging alcoholics who are awake by mid-day. She pulled her datapad out of her bag, hoping to find a way to contact Aethyta to be able to meet with her. I wonder if replying to her message would actually send one to her. She figured she would risk it, replying to the older asari. As soon as she hit send, her datapad blinked, receiving a new message. Nope. The failure to deliver message taunted her in a way that few programs could. Liara resolved herself to looking around the nearby market so as not to waste the time out. She placed her datapad back in her bag, heading back to the market place. The usual sounds of the market flooded her ears. Volus haggling over credits, turians looking for the next upgrade to their weapons. A nearby quarian trying to outbid a different volus over the price of a suit filter. She found herself getting lost in the noises, drifting between kiosks and wondering what she would end up getting. I have little use for a gun anymore, despite protection when Thane isn’t around. But I have one back at the apartment. I doubt I need more than that. She found a nearby shop, clothing she noted, that was having a grand opening. She wandered in, finding less than appealing clothes. Each species was (poorly) represented, with few clothing and suit designs and colors available. She had been hoping for something that wasn’t just the run of the mill that had been displayed at every other clothing shop that she had ventured in to. Prepare for disappointment. She glanced at the fashions. My options are… revealing and revealing. She left as soon as she came, wishing there was more variety in the clothing choices on Ilium. So much easier to shop on the extranet. She passed the armory, looking longing through the doorway at pistols, shotguns, and other weapons that adorned the shop. Liara paused her walking before passing the armory completely, doubling back when the longing for her former life tugged at her. She made her way into the shop, admiring the sleekness of the arms, the variety of the weapons. A new line of weapons had just shown up recently, requiring heat sinks in them, allowing for a longer rate of fire before needing to have the heat sinks replaced. Thermal clips, she read on the case next to her, that would have saved us so many times back on Feros. So many times, would a thermal clip have saved her from needing to patch the hole blown in her thigh from a shotgun blast because her weapon had jammed between biotic attacks. She ran her fingers across the glass, remembering. A pang of sadness hit her. She turned heel to leave, not wanting to be reminded of Shepard like this. 

As she left, she opened her omni-tool.

“Miranda, send the shuttle now.”


	9. Circumstantial Choices

The journey to the Cerberus facility took less time than she thought it would, though the time passed quickly when she had to think about what she needed to do. Shepard isn’t awake. I know that much. Miranda said she looks a little rough still, but it would still be her. She hoped she would be able to get closer than just seeing her behind glass. It had been so long since she had seen her love. Yet, she had another problem, more than just what she would do once she got there. What am I going to do about Thane? The question tore at her. She had grown to care for the Drell, despite knowing little about him beyond what he had shared over their several months together. Nearly half a galactic year had passed since she first saw him on Ilium, and she wasn’t sure if she would dare label what she felt for him love. She knew she cared for him, but the more she said it in her head, the more it sounded like she was trying to convince herself of something. I don’t know. 

As she weighed her romantic options, she knew that no sort of decision had to come then, as she still didn’t know if Shepard would wake up. Not when, if. She also found herself bombarded with more questions of why she was still here when so many hadn’t made it. I thought I had made it further from this survivor’s guilt and existentialist nonsense. The shuttle docked, and wish a hiss, the ship hatch opened, Liara’s boots clicking on the hard metal floor. 

“Welcome, Dr. T’Soni,” Miranda greeted, bowing her head slightly in a nod.

“Lawson,” Liara returned, mimicking the nod. 

“Follow me,” Miranda beckoned, leading the way to the room that housed Shepard, “I honestly would have expected to see you sooner, but better late than never.”

I don’t think you understand how hard this is for me. Liara’s boots clicked as she followed Miranda, keeping her pace.

“What did you say?” Miranda called back.

“Nothing,” Liara answered, not realizing she had said that out loud.

Liara continued to follow Miranda, passing rooms filled with medical equipment, robots and storage containers. Had her visit been under different circumstances, she likely would have enjoyed knowing what else went on in this facility, but for now, she was focused on making her way to Shepard.

“Here we are,” Miranda stated as the door slid open, “there she is.”

Eighteen months of emotion began to bubble to the surface with each step Liara took toward Shepard’s prone form. Eighteen months of grieving. Eighteen months of pain. She stopped at the side of the bed, unable to grasp that this was Shepard before her. Her red hair hung loosely around her face, pooling on her pillow around her head. The tube feeding oxygen in through her nose wrapped back around her ears, helping her breathe. Liara reached out, her ungloved hand touching the skin of Shepard’s hand, the callouses the same as she remembered. She reached with her other hand to brush the stray hair that lay on her face, as a tear fell onto Shepard’s cheek.

“Shepard,” Liara whispered, “it has been far too long since I last saw you.”

The scars on Shepard’s cheek cut an uneven crescent, accentuated with other connecting cuts. Liara noticed the steady rise and fall of her chest.

“She’s breathing on her own now?” Liara asked, her voice cracking.

“She’s been able to breath on her own for about a month now,” Miranda explained, “we just keep her on oxygen for the sake of making sure it’s flowing easily to her. Makes it less of a struggle in case she lapses a bit.” Liara nodded, turning her attention back to Shepard, realizing she hadn’t let go of her scarred hand since she had first taken it into hers. 

“I’ve missed you so much, Shepard,” Liara began to explain, watching the monitors beep and flicker. 

“Her brain activity is responding to your voice. Not a lot, but enough,” Miranda pointed out.

“Shepard, I love you.”

Liara took the chair that Miranda slid over to her, sitting into it as one of her legs began to wobble. She laid her head on the bed next to Shepard’s hip, holding her hand.

“You have no idea how hard it has been without you. I’ve spent so much time, wondering what our lives would have been. Wondering if you’ll wake up. Wondering if I’m wasting my time hoping that you’ll come back. No one has ever brought someone back to life before, so I don’t know why I would believe it would happen now. There are so many things we had yet to do. We survived Noveria. We made it through Feros. We powered through after losing Kaidan on Virmire. We saw Ilos. Ilos! No one believed it was really there. We talked to Vigil. Yet, you haven’t been here. The last eighteen months have been so hard without you. Please wake up,” she pleaded, looking up at Shepard’s unchanging face. Several tears had fallen across her face as she spoke, pooling on the blanket below her. She pulled Shepard’s scarred hand to her lips, kissing the imperfect flesh. She rubbed her thumb where she had kissed, looking back to watch her face some more. It remained as unchanged as it was when she walked in. 

She laid there with her head next to Shepard, holding her hand. Miranda left at one point, returning more than a few hours later to find the asari asleep. 

“Dr. T’Soni?” she asked, trying to wake her up. Liara’s eyes opened, wincing as her back was in several forms of pain from the way she had fallen asleep. She looked up at Miranda and then over to Shepard. Miranda saw the exact moment when it dawned on Liara that this wasn’t a dream. She didn’t expect to be hugged by the asari, who was thanking her for making her come out. 

“I know I should have come sooner,” she whispered to Miranda as she let go of the hug, “I know she isn’t awake and I don’t know if she will wake up, but this has been strangely calming. I think having something physical to grasp, to talk to and hold onto had made the experience more real.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay if you would like. We have a few extra beds and I can arrange for a shuttle for you tomorrow.”

“That would be lovely,” Liara responded, turning back to Shepard, “I have so much to catch her up on.”

The evening wore on and Miranda’s concern over how involved Liara was becoming with the comatose Shepard grew with each passing hour. She noticed that Liara barely changed position, expect to find a more comfortable way to spend her time with Shepard’s body. She didn’t figure that anything would happen while Liara was in the room, but she clicked on the security feed to record nonetheless anything happened. Liara was oblivious to the recording, taking the time to set up her bed next to Shepard’s, her hand clasped with Shepard’s nearly the entire time she was in the room. If the asari had hoped or planned for the woman to wake up, she was bound to be disappointed as the last time she woke up, she had to be sedated so heavily that adrenaline had to be administered in order to stabilize her properly. Miranda chose to leave that fact out for now, instead allowing Liara to just enjoy the company of what they had salvaged of Shepard. 

Liara stayed up late through the night, recounting the past eighteen months. She told her of rescuing her body from the Collectors, taking her job on Ilium to pay off the debt she now owed, to Thane’s appearance in her life. She begged Sheard to understand that she didn’t love her any less, but that she loved him too, hoping she would understand if the time came to talk about it when she woke up.

“I just… I love you Shepard. But her has been a comfort in your absence that I don’t know if I can do without. The entire situation is complicated and I hope to have it sorted out before you wake.” If you wake. Liara laid her head on her pillow, her arm serving as the bridge between their beds, grasping her motionless hand as she drifted to sleep.

“I love you, Shepard.”

\-------------------------------------

The morning came far sooner than she anticipated. Liara has hoped it would be the day for Shepard to wake up, but was disappointed when she found Shepard still motionless by the time she had to leave. While she found the trip cathartic in a way, she also felt emptier when she left. She was leaving a piece of herself behind with the body that looked like her deceased lover, yet she resolved that she was ok with this, as Shepard would return once she had been healed. She sat in the shuttle, silent as she remembered her datapad. Thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with work during this and Than… She stopped as she returned her attention to her datapad, which blinked, full of messages. She had the usual messages from Nyxeris and her clients, but the messages from Thane made her stop.

Siha, I came home and you weren’t here.

Siha, where have you gone? 

Siha, did you leave no clue as to your whereabouts? I am growing concerned.

She knew that he had reason to be concerned, as they had grown accustomed to at least mentioning where they would be if they were to disappear for a short time. She replied to his latest message, explaining that she would return as soon as her shuttle made it to Ilium. I think I would rather tell him myself where I was, though I doubt he’ll mind. 

The hours passed before she landed on Ilium. She didn’t expect him to greet her at the docking bay. Deep down, she figured he would be angry with her for going somewhere and leaving no clue as to where she was, but she reminded herself that he had essentially done the same thing just days before. But he was leaving for a job… it would have still been nice to know where to go look for him should something have happened to him. HOwever, she didn’t expect him to race up to her, enveloping her into an embrace that mixed genuine affection with a dash of desperation.

“I thought someone got you,” he admitted into her neck.

“Here, let’s go home. I have some things to explain to you,” she assured him, pulling away from the hug so they could make their way to the taxi.

“Where did you go?” he asked as they climbed into the taxi.

“Miranda contacted me while you were out. She invited me to visit a project she has been working on for about a year and a half,” Liara explained, feeling the grip he had on her hand loosen.

“Did s-she wake up?” Thane asked, knowing why Liara would go somewhere with Liara, preparing himself for the worst. 

“No,” Liara continued, looking out the window and away from him, “I just went to visit her since I haven’t seen her since she didn’t look human anymore.”

“I’m sorry for leaving without much notice or information on where I was. I don’t exactly have a choice considering it would give away my position if someone found out you knew my whereabouts when I go on these missions.”

“That wasn’t what I was upset about. I was upset at the idea you may not come back. Complications arise at the quickest of seconds and I don’t know if I could handle losing someone I care about again. Now, let’s discuss this further once we get home. I’m tired from the trip,” she pleaded as he leaned his head onto her shoulder.

“I think that can be done,” he said, kissing her shoulder and resting his head again.

\--------------------------------------

The apartment door locked behind them, Liara dropping her bag to the floor next to the door. The found themselves on the couch, and she rested her head on his arm.

“So what did Miss Lawson have to say?” Thane asked, breaking the silence.

“She invited me to come visit Shepard. She had in the past and this time was the first time that I took her up on the offer,” Liara explained, “it was really to see how far they had gotten with the project.”

“I don’t believe I realized that they were able to do more than resurrect her shape. Was she awake?” Thane ask, clearly surprised.

“She was still comatose, but she looked close to what she did when I last saw her. She was scarred all over and not all the skin had grown back from her implants, but she looked like Shepard,” Liara continued, reaching over to grab his hand.

Thane murmured, nodding his head.

“When I spoke to her, her brain waves reacted. Not a whole lot, but enough to see that she could hear me,” Liara continued, her voice lowering.

“Well, what do you want to do?” Thane asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.

“I don’t know. In all reality, there’s nothing to be done unless she does wake up,” Liara replied.

“Where would it leave me?” Thane whispered.

“Again, I don’t know. I don’t want to think about having to choose between you two.”

“Who says you have to choose?” Thane speculated, not expecting a reply.


	10. Normalcy

The next morning, they slept together, curled in each other’s embrace. She clung to him out of desperation, racing toward uncertainty. Thane clung to her out of fear, hoping, waiting, wishing she would react more positively to the idea of keeping them both in her life once Shepard returned. He had no way of knowing that the Shepard that came back would be the same Shepard that Liara loved, but the idea of her leaving twisted his heart in a way that he hadn’t felt in years. He woke before her, the sun streaming in through the breaks in the curtains, the light accentuating her shape from under their shared blanket. His hand grazed her shoulder as his other arm, tucked under her neck, pulled her body closer. He wanted to hold her forever and the selfish part of him wished Shepard would never come back. It had been so long since he had been near a semblance of happy. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking away the sleep from her eyes. She kissed his chest, her arms actively moving to embrace him, neither of them wanting to let go of the other. 

It was times like this where he took in the little details in case he only had memories later. The way the sun shone off her sapphire skin, highlighting the freckles at the crest of her head tentacles. The smell of her body after a shower. The feel off her skin under his calloused hands, rippling from the tiniest of shivers in the cool morning air. He breathed her in, laying a kiss on her forehead.

“Should we get out of bed?” he asked, looking down to her.

“Not yet. I want to stay here just a bit longer,” she responded, tightening her grip on his torso.

He rolled off his side, welcoming her to drape herself over his chest, allowing more comfort for the both of them. She laid her head on his chest, drawing circles over the muscles of his stomach. 

“I really don’t know what to do about all this,” Liara said, finally breaking the silence. 

“This?”

“Us. Shepard. Just all of it. I just don’t know what to do. I know you don’t want me to have to choose, but while I might entertain the idea, would you be ok with it? Would Shepard even think of it if she were to wake up? There are so many variables right now and I don’t know how or where to even begin.” Her mind raced and he could tell the entire conversation was getting them nowhere. 

“How about we worry about this if and when we have to worry about it. Thinking about it now is only going to upset us both and drive a wedge where there doesn’t need to be one,” he reasoned, pulling her close.

She considered his words, but it didn’t stop her from thinking about what would happen if Shepard did wake up. She would have to face the fact that she had essentially cheated on Shepard. Though I don’t want to make excuses for myself, I thought she was dead. Yet what she had with Thane had started after she had dropped Shepard’s body with Miranda. After she had been told that Shepard was breathing again, even if it was with the help of machines. Shepard’s heart beated, and she was busy making nice with a Drell assassin. If Shepard were to wake up, she wouldn’t forgive her either. 

Yet, the other hand present that Shepard would understand that she would have moved on, thinking she had been dead, wishing for her to be happy instead of mourning her loss forever. Thane studied Liara’s face as she surveyed her options silently, choosing to take his leave from her bed because he could tell that she needed some more time to think. She laid there in silence, continuing to allow her thought to race about Shepard, what was and what might be. She found herself getting nowhere though and eventually left the comfort of the bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She shuffled into the living room to find Thane meditating while facing the window, a common sight this early in the morning. She smiled, reasoning with herself that giving this up would pain her. 

“I want this to last as long as it can,” she called from across the room.

\--------------------------------------

Settling back into normal was more difficult than anticipated, following her trip to the Cerberus facility and Thane’s job. They each found themselves desperately clinging, yet avoiding the subject. The careful balance that they were creating lended itself to more awkward silences and doubt. What if nothing is right between us again? She toyed with the idea of hoping shepard could handle having a Drell as a partner as well, but she wasn’t going to ‘hold her breath’ as the humans called it, because she had no way to know. She also found herself being closed off from him emotionally and it was like early in their ‘courtship’, when they were still learning one another and unsure of what each of them had in store for the other. 

“Thane, I want to try something,” she called to him from the bedroom, hoping that he would come quickly.

He made his way into the room and found Liara waiting for him on the bed. He was surprised at the nudity, as they hadn’t coupled since before he had left on his mission. 

“What’s with the surprise?” he asked with a smirk, shedding some of his own clothes.

“Well, before, when we coupled, you showed me how Drell copulate. Now it is your turn to see how for asari,” she explained, “however, you don’t have to be naked to do so. I just thought you might enjoy the view better.”

He smiled, crawling up the bed to kiss her. Their lips met in a tentative kiss, as he hesitated slightly until he realized she was kissing him as hard as he wanted to kiss her. His hand ran down her side, gripping her hip to pull the two of them together.

“Now, asari joining is different from Drell. Just relax,” she soothed, her eyes going black.

She welcomed him to her mind, waves of pleasure rippling through each of them as they embraced and danced within. They held one another as the joining took place, and while it only lasted a few minutes, Thane found himself overtaken with warmth when he was released from her mind. The memories that she flooded into his head of she wished for, what she thought of, what she wanted, pleasure rolling through both of them as their minds intertwined.

“That was incredible,” he huffed, slightly out of breath.

“Thank you,” she breathed, leaving a kiss on his forehead, “that was only the second time I’ve joined with someone, like that at least.”

“Are all asari joining that intense?” he asked, his skin tingling.

“They are as intense as the bond between the two sharing it,” Liara explained.

“So this means you care for me quite a bit.”

She smiled, “I do.”

“I will remember that for later,” he said with a smirk.

He leaned in to kiss her, remembering their state of undress following the mental joining. She met his lips, kissing him again. He pulled her close, feeling her skin against his, running his hands along her sides. She murmured into his chest, mostly uninterested in a physical joining after the mental one. He took the cue and just held onto her, enjoying the feel of their skin touching for the time being. 

“Do you enjoy the physical joinings?” he asked, tracing patterns with his finger on her hip.

“Sometimes. When I am tired, less so, as it takes some mental concentration. But, you have been the first male I have joined with physically. Joining with Shepard was different,” she explained, leaving him to draw his own conclusions.

“So you don’t like physical joinings?” he asked.

“It isn’t that I don’t like them. They just aren’t normal for my species. Most of the time we engage in physical joining because it is natural for our partner, but it isn’t necessary for us to be able to conceive. The joining we just did achieves the same process for us,” she continued.

“Does that mean you will…” he trailed off, hoping she would answer.

“No. We have to allow our bodies to begin the conception before it will work. Also, I am much too young to be conceiving children just yet.”

“Oh.” He was slightly dumbstruck by the exchange, never having thought too much about asari conception. While asari were all over the galaxy, he hadn’t gone out of his way to learn much about them. He was finding out more in his months with Liara than he had in his years in the galaxy.

“Most asari wait until they have passed their Maiden stage before they have children. I am still young. I am 107. Asari standards place that just barely past childhood.”

“I did not know that,” he cooed, pulling her lips in for a kiss. She returned the kiss, propping herself up to look down at him before kissing him again. She crawled off the bed, grabbing a towel to head to the shower.

“You can join me if you want,” she called, casting a seductive look back at him. He got up to follow her, stepping into the room as she disappeared into the glass-walled shower. He stepped into the hot water cascading down from the shower head, delighting himself in the sight before him. despite just seeing her naked moments before, the sight of her wet, water streaming down her body excited him. He kissed her neck from behind, cupping the curve of her breasts and running his fingers across her nipples. He could hear her gasps from the touches. He leaned against her, pushing her body against the wall, his hands moving lower to stimulate the outside of her sex. He listened to her murmur her delight in the stimulations, causing his own sex to grow and stiffen from its sheath. 

The soft skin of her rear was pressed against his growing hardness, and before long he turned her around, kissing her lips again as his hands ran down her backside. He bent slightly to pick her up by the backs of her thighs, pulling her legs around his waist. She found herself pushed between him and the wall, so she steadied herself, wrapping her arms around his neck. He shifted her weight, grunting as he grabbed a better hold of her legs, his hardness pressing against her thigh. The water kept falling around them, steaming up the bathroom and slicking their skin. The slickness of his length was positioned just outside her sex as he kissed her, shallowly rocking the end into her, slowly entering her. She shifted, moaning slightly, as he rocked himself in and out of her, kissing her as he slowly moved within her. He kept a steady pace, rocking slowly, when he noticed that her eyes had gone black like before when he joined with her. The intensity of the pleasure he was feeling as he moved within her grew, intensifying. She moaned into his mouth, her hands gripping at his arms. The sensations grew quicker this time, her skin on fire from the joining of their minds. She probed his consciousness,the secrets of his mind sexually exciting her more than the physical interaction ever could. The bridge between physical and mental pleasure was nearing a close as he shuddered his release within her, her ripples of pleasure through their mental link intensifying his own orgasm. He left moving within her, hoping to help her get closer when he remembered the mental link. He thought of their time, his love for her and he felt her shudder around him. He pulled himself out, listened to her whimper softly and kissed her again, releasing her thighs to lower her back to the surface of the shower. Her skin had been glistening from the water, and he kissed a trail of water droplets off of her neck. 

She smiled at him, soon grabbing the soap to clean the both of them. He delighted in the soft pressures she applied to his skin as she ran her soaped fingers down his body. He returned the favor with her, taking extra care to softly caress her more sensitive places. She gave him a playful swat and reminded him they needed to get out before too long. As they finished, the water faucet turned off with the push of a button. She toweled herself off, tossing another towel at him.

After she dried herself off, she laid down on the bed again, sighing contentedly. He joined her after he pulled on his loose-fitting exercise pants, pulling her close. 

“We should keep taking things one day at a time,” she said finally.

After about an hour, the two of them dressed, making their way out to the marketplace to stock up on provisions for their kitchen. She noticed that she had been ignoring her work, so when they returned, he stocked their kitchen while she sat down to look over the transcripts Nyxeris had forwarded to her from the clients who wished to leave information for her to sift through. She scrolled through the several files she had to read through, highlighting the material that she wanted in order to file it away for later. She found herself so engrossed in her work that the smell of food was what pulled her out of her work-filled haze. He sat a plate of food in front of her so she could continue her work. Liara pulled him down for a kiss before he sat down next to her, eating his own lunch as she worked away. She barely noticed that he had taken her plate once she had finished, leaving it in the sink before returning to his spot next to her, grabbing a book to read while she continued her work. The contented sigh he gave as he settled back onto the couch, leaning against her side, allowing her to wrap her arm around him while she worked warmed her heart. I don’t want to give this up. Liara continued on in her work, finishing with three files while another six waited for her attentions. Volus, turian, asari, hanar. All of them have statements for me in an effort to make money, yet not all their information is of use to me. Unfortunate for them, I guess. She was pulled from her thoughts when Thane closed his book, kissing her hand and resting his head against her ribs, closing his eyes for sleep. Admittedly, it was only mid-day, but the activity they had pushed into the small amount of time since they woke made her come to terms with her own fatigue. The two of them laid there, embracing sleep like they had never met it.


	11. Aches

Liara welcomed the eventual return to normal. She immersed herself in her work, especially when Thane was called out on a job. There were times that days would pass between looking up at the galactic calendar on her desk. Hours would pass before she realized how long she had been at the office. Nyxeris had left the office a good bit of time before, the night skyline glittering from outside her window. She took it as a hint that she should grab something to eat and head home. 

Once Liara arrived at her apartment, food in hand, she quickly ate, laying on the couch to continue what little she couldn’t before leaving the office. She soon came to the conclusion that she hadn’t put her datapad on to charge recently. She huffed her disapproval, grabbing the blanket on the back of the couch before falling asleep. 

Her alarm went off at dawn. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, grumbling her disapproval at being awake so early. Thane’s absence was noticed this time, as he had been gone for close to two weeks and his last message had been sent over a week ago. Her response was to throw herself into her work. She showered quickly, grabbing something to drink before making her way back to the office. If only I was paid for the time I put in instead of the information I gather. Commission sucks. She smirked as she sipped her drink in the taxi, ready to charge her datapad once she returned to the office. Nyxeris greeted her, informing her of the upcoming vid appointments. Liara set her drink down on the desk and mumbled.

“Sorry, Ma’am, I didn’t catch that,” Nyxeris said.

“I said, next time I haven’t left before you pack up to go home, tell me to leave anyway. Time has been getting away from me lately and with Thane out on a job, I’ve been staying here longer than I usually need to. I left last night around the time I usually head to bed,” Liara replied, trying to keep her annoyance down as Nyxeris wasn’t the cause.

“I will ensure I do, Ma’am. When is he due back?” she asked as she scribbled a note to herself for later.

“I don’t know. When he goes away like this, he can be gone anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. This is the longest he’s been gone so far. Honestly, I’m starting to get a little worried, but part of the job is the risk. He’s skilled though, so he should be ok.”

“Could that be another reason why you’re so irritated, Ma’am? You always seem to be in a better mood when he’s around. For one reason or another,” she said with a smirk.

“It isn’t all like that,” Liara countered, trying to steer the conversation away from discussion the more intimate details of her relationship with him. 

Liara was halted from continuing by a vid comm blinking through. The two gossiping asari stopped talking and Liara answered when she saw it was from Miranda.

“Dr. T’Soni?” Miranda asked.

“Speaking,” Liara answered as she began to process some documentation.

“Dr. T’Soni, we are very excited. Despite needing to sedate her, Shepard’s vitals are stable enough and she has healed enough with her implants that you could visit her if you felt like it. She would be awake this time. Shall we send a vessel to pick you up?”

Liara stopped sudden as she listened to Miranda explain, chilled. She was excited at the prospect of seeing Shepard again, but Thane’s presence complicated matters. Knowing that Shepard may in fact be back and real and alive both excited and frightened her. What if she comes back and is disgusted with me for moving on? It’s been nearly two years. What about Thane? What about… Her thoughts were cut off by Miranda.

“Liara, I want to know if I should send a shuttle to fetch you or if I should allow you to arrange your own transportation on your own time?” Miranda asked again, her tone growing more short.

“Get me a shuttle later this evening. I have to take care of a few things first.” Liara cut the call off, stopping to inventory her situation.

\----------------------------------------

Not wanting to cause a stir like she had previously, she sent Thane a message.

T, I’m heading back to the Cerberus facility. I’ll be back in a few days. ~L

Short and sweet. She also opted to leave a handwritten note on the side table just inside the door of the apartment, in case he didn’t get a chance to check his messages while he was still away on his job. She packed her bag, expecting to stay a bit longer than before. A taxi met her outside her apartment, transporting her to the shuttle port in no time. She prepared herself for the long side to the Cerberus facility. She was pleased with herself for charging her datapad, as well as packing the charger for it. I’m seriously dumb for not taking it with me last time. After setting her extranet messages to forward to her datapad instead of her work console, she settled in to the shuttle. Miranda called her within the first hour, checking up on her.

“Dr. T’Soni, I see you’re on your way. Is everything comfortable and to your liking?” Miranda asked, smirking as she noticed she had caught Liara with a mouthful of sushi.

“Everything’s good,” Liara responded, her hand in front of her mouth as she finished her bite, swallowing the fish and rice. 

“Excellent,” Miranda responded, “I just wanted to check on you and make sure that everything was fine for you, as this trip was last minute. Please do let us know if there is anything you would like on the shuttle next time.”

The vid console clicked off, signaling the end of the call. If there is a next time, Liara finished, moving to consume another piece of fish. The nigiri dripped off the excess soy, saltiness bringing out the full flavor of the fish. She settled into her chair, propping up her feet and balancing her plate between her breasts and her knees. She pulled out her datapad, multitasking and eating between bouts of reading. After another few hours, she fell asleep in her chair.

She woke hours later, startled by the plate falling to the floor of the shuttle with a dull clatter. She noted that she still had several hours left before she would arrive at the Cerberus facility. She grabbed herself a new cup of tea, grumbling her hello to her pilot as they sped through space. She was able to nap and work away the rest of the ride, finishing up a few more transcripts to be billed, sending the invoices off to Nyxeris to be taken care of. As they docked, Miranda met her at the spaceport. 

“Shepard is awake this time,” Miranda explained, “however, we have noticed that her memory hasn’t fully come back to her yet. She likely won’t remember you coming to visit her later, nor will she remember much or anything about you at all. We have been testing her memory on a day to day since she came out of her comatose state and we wanted you to be able to interact with her in case we had to induce a coma again so she wouldn’t strain herself. Hopefully, this kind of visit does more good than harm.”

Liara considered what she had been told and steeled herself with the knowledge that this would be harder for her since Shepard likely wouldn’t know who she was. Kinda makes the trip seem like a waste. But at least she’s making more progress. Liara followed Miranda into the hallway that she had been shown before, passing several LOKI mechs on their way deeper into the facility. The amount of mechs got more and more numerous as they continued closer to Shepard’s room. It’s been twenty galactic months since the attack. They rounded another corner and Liara gasped when they entered the room.

Sitting up in her bed, crimson hair hung around her face, was Shepard. She was awake, though she looked confused. Her attendant was busy laying out the spread of food that he had brought for her. While they were still supplementing her nutrition with the feeding tube, they had just allowed her to start trying with softer solid foods to start introducing her into normalcy again. Liara felt tears welling up in her eyes as she continued to look her up and down in her bed.

“Shepard?” she asked tentatively, not trusting that what she was seeing was real. Shepard looked over at her, cocking her head slightly. The scars that Liara had seen previously had healed over the implants more in the time since her last visit and she was pleased to see that she looked even more like the woman she had loved the last time she had seen her… alive. 

“Shepard?” Liara asked again, closing the gap between them. 

“Liara, she likely doesn’t remember you yet. Also, the speech center of her brain hasn’t fully regained the connectivity it once had,” Miranda explained as she followed after her. Liara had kneeled beside Shepard’s bed, taking her hand, enclosing it between her own. Shepard smiled softly at her, turning to meet her eyes. Liara stared at her, fresh tear-tracks on her face.

“I thought you were gone forever,” Liara admitted, though she was pushing her own fears about this project aside. I don’t know that she’ll ever remember me. 

“Shepard, this is Liara. We told you she was coming to meet with you today,” Miranda explained, motioning to the asari.

“Liara,” Shepard rasped, her voice still unaccustomed to being used again, “why are you crying?”

Liara should have expected her not to remember, but the question still stung her. 

“I thought I had lost you,” Liara explained, her tears forming again as she laid her head next to Shepard’s thigh, her tears pooling on the sheets below her. 

“Where did I go?” Shepard asked in complete naivette. Liara looked to Miranda for approval before considering her answer. Miranda gave a slight shake.

“You went away for a while. You were missed by many, many people. I miss you too,” Liara explained, straying away from the topic of the other woman’s death.

“Many people missed me? Why? Are you crying because you missed me?” Her questions were numerous and Liara did her best to answer them all. 

“Yes, you are loved throughout the galaxy as a hero. You saved a great many people who would otherwise not be here today. You were a trained soldier and you did what was right for your people. I am crying not just because I missed you, but because I am so happy to see you back again,” Liara continued.

“Come on, Liara,” Miranda beckoned, “you will be able to visit with her again. You have had a long flight. Come with me.”

Liara got up from her kneeling beside Shepard’s bed, wiping away the tears with her sleeve.

“You should go,” Shepard said calmly, “but come back later.”

Liara caught a laugh in her throat at the comment. She leaned over to kiss Shepard’s forehead before she left, giving her hand a squeeze as well.

“Yes, I should go. I will come back to visit you later, Shepard.”

Miranda escorted Liara back to the cabin she had set up for her, not far from Shepard’s room.

“Not that I think anything will happen, but I want you to let me know before you go to meet with her. We haven’t told her everything yet of what has happened to her because we don’t want to shock her in this state. Once her memories come back,” Miranda started, “if they come back, then we will fill her in, but in this mostly blank state, we want to keep her with as little excitement as possible. The last thing we need is for her to end up like the last time.”

“Last one?” Liara asked, taken aback, “what do you mean, ‘last time’?”

“This was not our first successful attempt in waking her up. About a month ago, she came to and we were not prepared for it. She was incredibly shaken and scared of the world around her. We had to put her in an chemically induced coma just so she wouldn’t hurt herself. If it makes you feel any better, she asked for you then.”

“That doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better, no,” Liara replied, growing bitter with the conversation, “so you’re to tell me that she woke up a month ago, with some memory and since you couldn’t handle it, you put her back under?”

“We didn’t put her back under because we couldn’t handle her. We put her under again because we didn’t want her to hurt herself,” Miranda explained, “she could have caused irreparable damage to herself if we had allowed her to continue in the fashion that she was going. She was only awake for about a half hour before it was decided to put her back under.”

“You do realize that this could be much of the reason why she doesn’t remember now, right?” Liara asked, her anger flaring, “it could be that she came back right then and you putting her back under made her lock off whatever it was that set her off then so she wouldn’t remember it now. The reason why she doesn’t remember is likely your fault!” Liara’s anger was soon mixed with frustration as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m going to go see her in the morning,” Liara stated, “and you can’t stop me.”

She left Miranda in the hallway, her anger simmering now after letting some of it out. She sat on a nearby chair within her temporary quarters, her hands balled into fists. After a few deep breaths, she calmed a bit, but not before making out a dozen messages in her head that she would never send. Most of them contained language not fitting for someone of her reputation, but so long as it stayed with her, she didn’t care. She eventually got up from her spot on the chair, moving to lay on her bed. It was harder than she had hoped, the blankets scratchy. I see they care about their guests, she muttered in her head. She punched the communication holo-button on her omni-tool.

“Miranda, do you have any blankets at your disposal that don’t feel like a space cow rolled in lunar dust?” she asked harshly.

“I’ll see what I can find.”


	12. Remember

Liara woke the next morning, stiff and aching. The bed she had slept on in the Cerberus facility was closer to her floor than her own bed at home. She propped herself up, before laying back down, arching her back to pop some pressure out of it. She eventually rolled herself out of bed, pouring herself into the shower in an attempt to feel like she hadn’t slept on the uneven terrain of Therum. The heat of the water soothed her aching muscles and helped ease some of the pain away, though not all of it. She padded over to her overnight bag, pulling out clothing for the day. She zipped up her boots over her black form fitting pants, fastening the scientists collar around her neck. She had hoped to jog Shepard’s memory a bit, holding on to the hope that something in her would spark and a memory would bubble to the surface. It was a long shot, but with the hope there, she had something to cling to for the day. It still didn’t help that doubt gnawed at her in turn. She slung her bag over her shoulder, checking it for her datapad before heading out.

Liara made the short walk to Shepard’s quarters after radioing Miranda, meeting her at the door. 

“What’s with the get up? Hoping to get into our labs later?” Miranda asked, her curiosity piqued. 

“T-this was what I wore when I served with Shepard aboard the Normandy SR-1,” Liara explained, a shakiness to her tone, “I was hoping that the familiar outfit would help her.”

“It might,” Miranda said with a nod, pushing the clearance code into the keypad, gaining them entry. Shepard’s attendant looked up as they walked in, signaling that Shepard was still sleeping. 

“I feared she may still be asleep,” Liara said with a sigh, still making her way across the room. She grabbed a nearby chair on the far wall, bringing it with her to set beside the bed. She sat herself down, placing Shepard’s scarred hand in hers, rubbing the uneven skin, puckered and smoothed with scar tissue. Liara leaned over to kiss it, her lips softly grazing the skin. In that moment, she had forgotten Miranda and the attendant in the room, focusing only on her and Shepard. She heard Miranda cough behind her, interrupting her from her thoughts.

“Yes?” Liara asked, turning her head to face Miranda. 

“Call me if you need something. We’re going to head out for a bit to give you two some privacy. Just remember what we said,” Miranda reminded, noting the previous day’s conversation. Liara nodded and went back to watching Shepard’s sleeping form. She released her hand, reaching into her bag that she had set on the floor next to the chair, pulling out her datapad. She pulled out the camera application, snapping a picture of Shepard as she slept, her smile softening further as she admired the moment she had captured. Shepard’s hair splayed on either side of her face, some of the crimson hair falling across her forehead. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and even with the scars crossing her cheek, lips, and forehead, she was still as beautiful as she remembered. Liara pushed a button, saving the picture for later. 

She worked silently on her datapad for a few more minutes, giving herself time to admire Shepard between lines of transcript. She didn’t notice at first when Shepard was pushing the first moments of sleep from her recently awakened eyes, but she captured the first time she had seen it since that morning that they had woken together. And hopefully not the last. 

“How are you doing, love?” Liara asked, falling into old habits before they could be reeled back into her mouth. 

“Love?” Shepard asked, confused by endearment, “Miranda did not mention anything like that regarding you before you came.”

“S-sorry,” Liara stammered out an apology, “it has just been a very long time since… we..” She trailed off from her admission, wishing she had not even opened her mouth, “forget it. Shepard, how do you feel this morning?” she asked, redirecting the conversation.

“I feel less fuzzy than I did yesterday. However, I still feel groggy. My head isn’t clear at all,” she explained, putting her hand to her forehead in a pained expression. 

“I imagine that is normal. It is surprising that you have come this far, Shepard,” Liara stated, giving her a sad smile. 

“So what happened to me?” Shepard asked, her tone still raspy, “everyone is acting like I’m about to break into pieces if they tell me too much or touch me the wrong way.”

Liara considered her options. Miranda was allowing her to be here, out of pity or respect, though she was unsure as to which. Telling Shepard exactly what happened might not be in her best interests. But she deserves to know some of what happened to her.

“You were in an accident,” Liara explained, carefully considering her words, “you were very badly injured. Over the last twenty months, Miranda and her team has been focused on ensuring your survival.”

“How badly was I hurt?” Shepard asked, growing more curious. 

“Bad enough to need constant medical attention. Bad enough that you were in a coma for over a year. Bad enough that no one expected you to wake up.”

“So do people think I died?” Shepard asked, a somber tone to her voice.

“They don’t think. They know. Your death was reported across the galaxy,” Liara continued, “aside from the people here, and myself, everyone still thinks you’re dead.”

“Why would the whole galaxy get a report of my death?” Shepard asked, growing more curious as Liara explained more to her.

“Because you were a war hero,” Liara continued, “you went up against impossible odds and beat them, unlike anyone else of this time or anytime before now. You were a savior and a hero, bringing hope to people who no longer had none. When your death was reported, millions came out to mourn you. I mourned you. We saved planets together. You saved planets, people, military operations long before I ever joined your crew. To the galaxy, it was an honor to have even known you, much less fight with you.”

“Liara, are you crying?” Shepard inquired, fascinated by the act. Liara touched her fingers to her cheeks, wiping away the fresh salted rails that had marked her face. Now isn’t the time for this. 

“Suppose I am,” Liara stated, continuing her story, “So many people had known you. Loved you. Admired you. Despised you. Everyone knew your name, so when we were attacked---”

“Attacked?” Shepard cut in, “you said earlier it was an accident.”

“Your death was considered an accident, a casualty,” Liara explained, “but we were attacked by what is now rumored to be a vessel of a race of people who have not been seen in known space for thousands of years. It is quite concerning.”

“This is a lot of information all at once,” Shepard stated, rubbing her temples, “maybe I shouldn’t have asked. 

“Possibly. Really, take it as you want to. We don’t have to discuss this right now,” Liara commented, trying to calm herself as much as Shepard.

“Miranda mentioned you were important to me, but she didn’t say how. I imagine it has to do with easing me into waking up again.”

“Um, well, we used to… we used to be together,” Liara stammered awkwardly. It had been so long since she had been able to refer to herself as a counterpart of Shepard: a lover, a companion, a partner, a comrade. She had so many roles in regards to how she interacted with her and the months had stolen much of it from her. She hadn’t moved on, but admitting it took some courage, especially when interacting with Shepard was like talking to someone new. 

“I see,” Shepard said, confused, “well hopefully it will make sense soon.” A pained expression crossed her face.

“Are you ok?” Liara asked, getting up to check.

“No. My head hurts a lot. I think I need Miranda,” Shepard gritted, absently flailing for her call button. Liara reached over, giving the button a firm squeeze, looking back to the door to see if anyone was coming. She turned back to Shepard, sitting on the bed next to her. Shepard leaned against her chest, giving a weak smile.

“Well, if we used to be together, you probably won’t mind the closeness,” she gritted, the pain worsening. Miranda clamored into the room, two medical staff in tow.

“What happened?” Miranda demanded, checking Shepard’s vitals.

“We were talking,” Liara explained, her arm around Shepard’s waist, “then her head started hurting. I sat down just before you came in.”

“Ok, Dr. T’Soni, you should probably go--”

“No,” Shepard said sternly. Miranda gave Shepard a quizzical look. “She stays.”

“Ok, you can stay, but we need you to move.”

Liara got up and out of the way, moving her chair from before out of the path of the nurses who went to attend to Shepard. For the first few minutes, she watched intently as they checked Shepard’s eyes and ears, muttering about there not being any external bleed, opening and closing her mouth. Her vitals read normal. Soon she gave up trying to make sense of why they continued to poke and prod at her when it was clearly exhausting and annoying her. To be fair, they have sunk a bunch of credits into this project. Without being able to outwardly detect what was wrong with her, the nurses soon left, MIranda following them after she told Shepard to take it easy, lay back, and just speak with Liara. Shepard nodded in acknowledgement, easing herself back onto the pillow.

“I’m really tired now,” Shepard told Liara after the three had left, reaching her hand out weakly. Liara grabbed her chair and moved it next to the bed, taking Shepard’s hand in hers again.

“It would probably be best if I didn’t get caught looking guilty because I am comforting you by sitting on your bed next to you,” Liara reasoned with a chuckle.

“No, probably not the best idea,” Shepard replied, smiling back at her, “even if I don’t remember much of anything, I am still happy you’re here.”

Liara smiled, her eyes welling up as the words escaped Shepard’s mouth.

“Did I say something wrong?” Shepard asked.

“No. No. You’re fine,” Liara told her, wiping away the unfallen tears and holding her hand a little bit tighter. 

\----------------------------------------

Liara’s trip soon ended, with her bidding farewell to the slowly recovering Shepard. Liara did her best to fill her in on some of the less distressing details, so she kept with telling her of the time they spent together, however short. Shepard had enjoyed listening to Liara recount their kisses, their touches, the time they embraced, enraptured in the stories like they were those from a novel. Liara felt a little guilty at that, considering she could only tell Shepard how she felt about the whole ordeal and couldn’t convey to her the feeling SHEPARD had felt instead. There’s no way I can help bring those memories back. Hopefully in time. Liara fiddled with her datapad as she woke from the evening of travel away from the Cerberus facility. She was only able to stay a few days and while she savored every minute she had been able to spend with Shepard this time, now that she had woken, she was still torn. She wanted to stay and start rebuilding what she could with the woman she loved, yet she had another to worry about. She had Thane. She had work. She had other obligations that, for the moment, kept her from trying to rebuild the perceived perfection in her life.

The trip back was so much more bland than the trip out had been. The anticipation of seeing Shepard awake was soon muddled with the realize that work loomed on the horizon. Reality was setting in and she hoped for the day that she would be able to sink back into the normality that she had left behind with the destruction of the Normandy. She would never admit it to anyone, but she had always been used to a semi-nomadic lifestyle. The fact that she was sitting on one planet and had been for some time with few breaks out into space and other planets really bothered her in a way that she hadn’t felt before. Yet, there was too much she had to accomplish on Ilium. Too much left to do before she could run off again. 

The thought of scrolling through her documents disgusted her in a way it never had before. Never once had she questioned why she stayed in one spot before now. But now she realized, she was afraid to leave. Afraid to go out and explore like she once did. She had been content in working digs because the only thing to get attached to were the archaeological finds and fossils and relics and artifacts and so many things that used to excite her, but now, after seeing the galaxy among the stars, beyond those digs, she found the idea of staying in one spot preferable. No one died in space, alone, gasping for air after they had their tank cut. No one’s ship was attacked by unknown assailants at the time, only to lose a large percentage of the crew. Staying on Ilium granted her a security that leaving the comfort of a planet did now. Her thoughts raced as she realized, she didn’t feel safe inside the everyday frigate. Too many variables altered the safety of any kind of mission and while the small shuttle she was on also carried the same kind of risk, it didn’t impose as big of a threat. A threat of being attacked. Because on that shuttle, the only ones to be threatened were her and the pilot. The Normandy, however, had become known across the galaxy as being the ship that carried the great Commander Shepard and that itself was the biggest threat to her enemies. Liara pulled herself from her thoughts, looking down to her datapad and opened the picture application. She and Shepard had spent a good amount of time playing with the camera application while they had been together, talking. Each time she opened the folder of taken pictures, she always found herself staring at the picture she had snapped as Shepard slept. Her fingers pet the screen. I want her to remember me again.


	13. Both Sides

When Liara arrived home, Thane still hadn’t returned. She gave a half-hearted, sideway pout, but unpacked her belongings, setting out a new outfit for the next day at work. It was a bit of time before she noticed a letter sitting on her bed, in the middle of the right side where Thane slept. Her heart sank as she read each line.

  


Siha,

I regret that I will be unable to return for some time. This current job is going to send me deep undercover and the less you know, and the less they know of you, the better. I do not want to put you into any danger. For frame of reference, I will likely be gone for several months. If anything is to happen to me, I will ensure that someone notify you. I am sorry you had to find out through a letter and not in person. I miss you.

~T

 

Liara clutched the letter, conflicted. She turned it over, hoping that he was playing a joke on her or that he would leave some clue as to where he was so she could contact him. Sending him a comm message was likely out of the question, as he either probably had it off or diverted to a message box. There was no telling as to if or when he would actually get the message. He had not left her in any way, but this complicated things. She had planned on telling Thane about Shepard waking up once he returned from his current mission, but if he wasn’t returning for months, she wasn’t sure what to do. If she were to go visit Shepard again, should she carry on like no time had passed? Does she tell Shepard about Thane? Obviously, she needed to tell each one about the other, but the timing was off.

 

Liara groaned in frustration, grabbing her bag, packing her datapad as she set out for Eternity.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

“Been a long time since I’ve seen you, stranger,” Aethyta said from behind the bar, handing Liara the drink she had ordered, “you look like you have a stack of problems and the only solution is fire.”

 

Liara smiled, looking into her glass, “Relationship issues. The kind that they don’t have books, or writings about considering how weird they are.”

 

“How weird are we talking here, sweetie?” Aethyta asked, refreshing Liara’s glass, “is this ‘my boyfriend is cheating on me’ weird or ‘oh no, I slipped on this Hanar tentacle and now I’m in Fornax’ weird?” Liara laughed at the mental image, then was disturbed at how Hanar could mate with others.

 

“Well, it’s a ‘presumably my former lover is back from the dead and remembers nothing and my kinda boyfriend is away on business love triangle insanity’,” Liara explained, taking a large mouthful of her alcohol.

 

“Well, that’s certainly a situation to be in,” Aethyta remarked, her eyes widening, “do you have a plan of action yet?”

 

“Not entirely, though I imagine I will figure something out,” Liara replied as she finished her drink. She ordered another, seeing as leaving Shepard and finding out she wouldn’t seen Thane in a while was weighing on her. Aethyta, the Matriarch bartender, poured her another drink, turning a moment later to mix for a female turian who had just walked in and ordered. Liara could feel the vibrations of biotic energy coming off the female turian, her face adorned with red battlepaint. Her face was obscured from full view by the hood attached to her coat. Liara nodded at the turian, and she nodded back, collecting her drink and making her way to the dark recesses of the bar. Liara was curious, as only few turians ever possessed the ability to use biotics, but she let it be for now, turning back to her conversation with Aethyta.

 

“Zone out for a second there?” Aethyta asked, repeating her question, “what is there to figure out really? Which one do you love more?”

 

“That’s the thing,” Liara started, giving Aethyta a nod of approval, “it isn’t a question of more. It’s the question of ‘how do I fit them both into my life?’”

 

\----------------------------------------

 

The door slid open, allowing Liara entry as she stumbled home from the bar. I really should have stopped after the second drink. The thought processes needed in order to deal with being in love with more than one other being at once were completely shot, thanks to the alcohol in her system. After the third drink, she had stopped programming drinks into the bar terminal, instead allowing Aethyta to mix up whatever she pleased. This did not bode well for Liara, as her tolerances had waned in the months she had stayed home with Thane, as she hadn’t drank as much in that time as she had when she was still mourning and focusing on the loss of Shepard. She punched the buttons, locking the door behind her as she kicked her shoes off, pouring herself onto the couch. Her cold wrist touched her forehead, sending shallow chills through her. Alcohol really burns me up. Usually only Rhyncol… dammit Aethyta.

 

Weighing the need for water with the ability to get up, she rolled herself off the couch, crawling for a moment while she used the couch beside her to pull herself up, stumbling a bit in the short distance to the sink. She poured herself some water, not realizing the glass was full until it overflowed. She hurried to turn the water off, purposely pouring some of the water out so she would have less of a chance of spilling the whole thing all over herself once she attempted to drink it. Last thing I need on top of all these questions without answers at the moment is dehydration on top of it.

 

In Thane’s absence, she found her internal monologue was racing. They would often spend hours talking to one another, like many do in early stages of any relationship, so without him there to speak with, she found herself the only one to converse with. She supposed she could call someone, but considering it was the middle of the night, drunken vid calls were not seen as acceptable, no matter who she was. She would also have to explain how she had gotten to this level of inebriation, and well, that was a conversation she didn’t wish to have. She hoped that Miranda would be awake so she could call to see if Shepard was awake to talk, but thought better of it.

Instead, she attempted to pour what she would tell someone else onto paper, but any sort of writing that she attempted was sloppy and unreadable. Typing was impossible on the touchpad of her datapad, as her fingers kept hitting the wrong keys. She opened the voice recorder on her datapad, setting it near her head after laying back down on the couch, setting the half-glass of water next to the datapad.

 

“I really don’t know what I’m doing with myself anymore,” Liara said, the voice recorder picking up her conversation to no one, “I don’t think there is anything that could make me stop loving Shepard even if I tried, yet, I am drawn to Thane. Goddess, I never even pursued anyone romantically before Shepard, and now I’m trying to decide which partner would be better for me in the long run.”

 

She stopped for a moment, the sudden realization hitting her that she would outlive both of them. Drell usually only lived to be about 80-90 depending on how healthy they were and with Kepral’s Syndrome, it was hard to tell how long most Drell would last. Humans had gained the ability to last longer than they had 200 years before now. Most humans lived an average lifespan of about 140 years, though that was lessened when active military duty was considered. The idea that with either of them, she would still have around 800 years left didn’t sit right with her.

 

“Both of them help me to be a better version of me, thought this version is still pretty good. I wouldn't say that they complete me, but each of them has their own qualities that makes me want to be better for them. Each of them has shaped me in a way and without one or the other, I wouldn’t be who I am now. I just don’t know what to do. I’ve never done this before, but I also don’t know who I could talk to about it. The bartender seems like I know her too casually to bother her with these issues of mine, and all the former Normandy crew has gone off in their own directions. My business associates are hardly appropriate to discuss such matters. I just.. I don’t know…”

 

She allowed her thoughts to trail off, internalizing some of them. What will I do if I have to choose one of them over the other? That question rang through her louder than any of the other and was the one she focused on the most, grasping hold of it and wondering how she planned to answer it. There was only one answer that would make her happiest, yet it was the most selfish, in a way. What if I could have both of them? She desperately clung to anything she could to make it a reality, but time was the determining factor. If Thane went for it, she would still need Shepard’s approval. The only problem with such an action came from Shepard’s memory not being back fully. She groaned, turning toward the table by the couch, reaching to turn off her datapad and grab her glass, taking a quick drink. She soon thought herself into a stupor, with sleep claiming her quicker than usual, as the alcohol helped the matter along.

\---

 

The next morning she woke to the sun beaming down on her, the harshness of the rays blinding her briefly as she woke. She was splayed across the couch and as soon as her eyes opened to the light, a headache stabbed into her consciousness. She vowed to never drink so much again, as many often do. At least I made it home in one piece. While the exact details of how she got home were fuzzy, she did remember the recordings she had made on her datapad. She took a drink from her water, still perched on the table beside her, reaching to grasp the datapad. Her cheeks grew purple in embarrassment as she figured out just how intoxicated she had been, her speech so badly slurred that some words were near unintelligible. As she listened to the recording, skipping through the dead air that was present from time to time, a few lines struck her with awe, surprised they had even come forth from her mouth.

 

“I don’t think there is anything that could make me stop loving Shepard even if I tried, yet, I am drawn to Thane,” the record parroted. She kept listening, forwarding the recording to another piece that she heard that baffled her, “Each of them has shaped me in a way and without one or the other, I wouldn’t be who I am now.” The admission rang through her. In all, the problem wasn’t in her needing to choose, but in her thinking she would be incomplete without one of them. The thought of being without one of them stabbed at her heart though, worse than it had when Shepard had initially passed. If both of them are alive, why should I HAVE to choose? The boundaries of marriage and law did not overlap, so she didn’t have to worry about repercussion there. So really, it was just the pressures of society that governed two beings to gravitate to one another, instead of more. Liara grunted in frustration, pulling a pillow over her head in annoyance. My only hope is that I don’t have to deal with this until Shepard is well. She knew that Thane wouldn’t be back for a while. She felt guilty at hoping that Shepard’s recovery would be delayed, but it afforded her time that she otherwise wouldn’t have to mull over the decision. She wanted ‘everything’ to work out, but she had to think of what she would do in case it didn’t. I care for Thane… I just. If Shepard is back, I know where my heart lies truly.

 

 


	14. Back in Action

The confusion and conflict lasted for months. She slipped back into her pattern of heading to Eternity after work, spending her evening drinking, and stumbling home. While she never received any formal complaints, the occasional client could see through her “stress headaches”, as she explained them, to see that she was hungover. To be fair, I am stressed out. She still agonized about how she planned to tell Shepard about her indiscretions with Thane, but she hoped she would afford her understanding, considering the circumstances.

 

She sat at her desk, shuffling through files and recordings, when a message came in from Miranda.

 

Facility attacked. Shepard is fully awake and functional. Neurological functions back to pre-attack conditions. We got out.

~M

 

Shepard is fully awake. After the few visits she had made to Shepard, both before and after she woke up, Liara found it was less and less satisfying to go and visit her. Shepard’s short-term and long-term memory had been heavily damaged, and even if it was functional now, she wouldn’t remember their conversations from before. She had admitted to Shepard at one point that she had grown to love Thane, despite Liara’s love for her, and Shepard’s face fell, unable to comprehend the admission. Liara left to get the two of them something to drink while they continued to talk, and by the time she had come back to the room, Shepard had forgotten their conversation. As to if it was a mental block in place because she didn’t want to talk about the conversation or recognize it had happened, Liara still felt the pain from not knowing how Shepard would react when she finally told her and she would remember being told.

 

She opened a new message, typing Shepard into the ‘to:’ heading. She thought of all the messages she could leave, but she stopped herself. Now that she remembers, what’s to say that she’s going to bother coming to find me? Liara’s heart sank at her esteem plummeted, kicking herself for even doubting that Shepard would want to see her. She discarded the message for now, resolving herself to sending one soon.

 

Looking over at the clock, she saw it was well past time for her to head home. Before she left, she replied to Miranda, telling her that she was happy for their safe escape and that she would be in touch soon. She gathered up her items, stuffing them into her bag and headed out to Eternity. She opted to walk this time, saving her credits for her ride home if she needed it. Her omni-tool chimed as she walked along. Liara muttered under her breath about how she had meant to turn off the sound notification after lunch, but had forgotten, drawing the embarrassed attentions of passersby.

 

Once she was seated at the bar, Aethyta greeted her, pouring what she considered her usual for the evening to start, as Liara told her that this would be her only drink of the evening.

 

“Something on your mind, sweetheart?” Aethyta inquired, a deep purr to her voice as she mixed up drinks for other patrons.

 

“Yeah. Relationship issues may be clearing up soon,” was her quick reply as she took her drink, claiming a small table for herself by the window. The Ilium skyline provided more than sufficient light for her task of seeing who it was that had message her and she stared, confused as Miranda usually didn’t send multiple messages in a day.

 

Wanted to let you know: Thane has been recruited to be a member of the Normandy’s crew. He hasn’t officially joined the team yet, but once he gets back to Ilium, after finishing his current mission, he will join her. Get any talking that you need to get done now.

However, gathering as many from the SR-1 as I can, but Shepard needs an army. Can you join us?

~M

 

Liara thought about the question. Her initial knee jerk reaction was to reply that yes, she would join Shepard’s team again, but that had its own set of complications. IN all honesty, she was of more use to Shepard as an information hub. She wasn’t sure how she would be able to gather enough information to be able to pay off her debt if she was spending her time going all over the galaxy. Liara sighed, replying that she would be unable to join them.

 

She then considered the other option. Thane would be with Shepard in close proximity. She suddenly became uncomfortable, as Thane knew who she was but, Shepard didn’t know who he was to Liara. A purple blush crept across her face, partly due to the alcohol, which was particularly strong tonight, and partly because she had hoped to tell Shepard herself.

 

“I see Miranda has talked to you about my being recruited to join Shepard,” Thane said from Liara’s side, startling her. She had jumped, letting out an undignified yelp in her surprise.

 

“You know I hate it when you do that!” she screeched, her heart racing from the excitement, “I’m so glad you’re back.” She flung her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek as she pulled him into a hug.

 

“My mission isn’t over yet, but I wanted to talk to you. My target is finally on Ilium, as I have been tracking her movements for months. She is heavily guarded, but I think I might finally have her,” he explained as he returned her hug, “can we go home for tonight? I want to have some time with you before I am whisked away.” Liara nodded, leaving her drink half-full as she led him out of Eternity.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

Liara’s excitement at having Thane with her for even the shortest of times was cut short at her realization that she would have to tell him about going to see Shepard. He knew she was awake thanks to Miranda, but he had no idea how many times she had gone to see her. She didn't think he would be mad, but she wanted him to know where everything was in the entire scheme of things so that he wasn’t left in the dark on anything. He pushed the keypad, entering the override code to her apartment, pulling her in behind him as she had lagged after their initial walk had started back to the apartment. Once inside, Liara was surprised by the feeling of his lips against hers as he backed her into the door. The door had shut behind them and provided a means of securing Liara for the tiniest of seconds to be able to breathe her in after so long without. The kiss became frantic as their lips parts, his mouth tracing down her jawline and to her neck, his hands reaching down to pull her legs up and around his waist, pulling her closer in their embrace.

 

“I missed you so much,” he purred from deep in his throat, his lips returning to hers. He pulled back when he felt a wetness on his nose, looking for the origin. He saw tears had started to fall from her eyes. His eyes widened.

 

“Did I hurt you? Are you all right? What’s wrong?” he asked as he carried her over to the couch, setting her down and sitting beside her as he wiped her tears from her face.

 

“There’s just a lot on my mind and I love kissing you and I know you’re leaving again soon and Shepard’s awake and we need to talk,” she told him, her speech quick.

 

Those last four words weighed on each of them. She cupped either side of his face with her hands, pulling him forward to give him the softest of kisses.

 

“A lot has happened since you left on your mission to track down Nassana Dantius,” she told him. Thane recoiled.

 

“How--?” he asked, not finishing the question.

 

“I’m an information broker. You wouldn’t know it, but I keep tabs on all kinds of things. While you couldn’t tell me anything to start, people talk. Traces of you have shown up, but not enough to blow your cover in the slightest. Don’t think too much about it.”

 

“You’d had time to hone your ability in information broking, I see,” he commented, his head leaning onto your shoulder.

 

“Not much else I could do in the mean time,” she retorted, “now, after you join Shepard’s team--”

 

“Who said I’m joining her?” he asked, recoiling from her a bit, “my plan is to take care of Nassana, collect my credits, and head back to you.”

 

“Well, the problem lies in that Miranda is collecting the best squad she can to help Shepard with Goddess knows what. I haven’t found out enough yet to know, but if she brings you on, then you could pass information to me so I can find out more for the both of us. It’s not that I don’t want you here, but if you’re with her, then you can help keep her safe. She’s not incapable, but if I were to lose either of you, I don’t know what I would do.”

 

“So I take it that you told her about us.”

 

“Not exactly,” she said, sadness creeping to her eyes, “I went and visited her several times after she woke up. You were gone and I wasn’t sure at that point if messaging you would help. This is also something that is better discussed in person. Each time I returned, she had no memory of me. Each time, I got to relive her meeting me for the first time. It was difficult for sure, but in a way, it was comforting. Everything was always new for her. If Miranda is gathering a team, that means she thinks that Shepard will be ready soon.”

 

“So what is it that you want me to do?” Thane asked.

 

“For one thing, gain her trust. I know that each time I visited her, she still felt something for me deep down, so that part of her was never taken by her memory loss, but if you, if we want her to join us or at least be comfortable with me being with both of you, she needs to be able to trust you,” Liara explained, not sure if she was making much sense.

 

“Wait, so you want me to pursue her?” Thane asked incredulously, “not what I expected you to say, honestly.”

 

“Well, not pursue her, but gain her trust,” Liara continued, “if she approaches you… intimately, then don’t turn her down, but yeah, that certainly opens the door. I don’t want to lose either of you, and I don’t think I can get a chance to talk with her about including her with us until much later. This seems like the next best option.”

 

“I’m unsure as to how you have come to this conclusion, but I will go along with it. Siha, it will be a while before I can see you again. I have to leave before sunup,” he explained, “but I wish I could stay for longer.”

 

“Don’t worry, my schedule is clear for the evening,” she said, giving him a kiss, “come on, there are better ways to entertain ourselves.”

 

Liara stood from the couch, reaching for his hand as she pulled him up and into the bedroom.

 

“Memories of this night will have to keep me warm when you cannot,” Thane started, before Liara turned to shush him.

 

“Don’t talk like that. There will be many more.” She just didn’t know when. The uncertainty gnawed at her, yet it was soon forgotten for the time being.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

As her eyes opened the next morning, she was saddened to find the bed next to her cold. Their joining from the night before was frantic, both physically and mentally. The two had held onto one another clinging, like they would never seen the other again. The anguish she carried in her mind at finding him absent from their bed threatened to eat at her. He will send word when he can. She consoled herself in knowing that hopefully, she could continue to love them both without guilt for wanting both of them and hopefully without jealousy tearing at them.

 

If it’s going to work out, it will. Until then we wait and see. Her datapad blinked from the bedside table, flashing orange instead of the usual green. I thought I had turned the real-time messaging client off. She wasn’t surprised to see several messages in her inbox, Miranda, Thane, Shepard. Shepard? She opened that one first, unsure of what she would see.

 

Liara,

As you probably know, I am back in action. Miranda said she had been in contact with you in passing. I am alive and well. I miss you. Where are you currently? You weren’t on the list of dossiers for the people I would be picking up to come on my mission. I really wish you could be, but I’m sure you have your reasons. I will come see you as soon as I am able. I currently have Miranda and Jacob with me. Both biotics. They should compliment mine nicely. Nothing like a well timed biotic explosion to make a kill more satisfying. But you know that. Keep in touch. I love you.

~D.S.

 

I love you. She had read the message more than once since she had opened it. I love you. Those three words echoed in her mind as she remembered the husky tone that Shepard had last said them on their previous joining. I love you.

 

She opened the message from Miranda, detailing the attack from the inside at the facility where Shepard was. She knew the two of them were safe, leaving in the rebuilt Normandy, dubbed the SR-2, as Joker sped them away. She was relieved that they had made it away safely, despite the betrayal of one of their men. Miranda vowed to keep in touch, to keep Shepard safe, to a lot of promises that Liara knew she wouldn’t be able to keep. Just keep the first two and we’ll be okay. The message from Thane detailed his love for her, similarly to the way Shepard had, and professed how soon he would be back to her. Hopefully, you will do as I have asked you to. Liara wondered if he would be able to carry out his pursuit of Shepard to the point of her wanting to bind with him, though she was unsure of how such things would work between drell and humans. Likely similarly in the way that he couples with me as human females have similar characteristics to asari. She wasn’t bothered by the idea of him being with Shepard, but she hoped Shepard wouldn’t be bothered by the idea of being with him.


	15. Discussion

Thane sent word that he had taken out Nassana, soon after joining Shepard’s team. The two of them had grown closer as friends, but he admitted that they hadn’t gone further than that. I want her to know about you and I. The words run through her after reading them in his latest message. He claimed to not feel right being around Shepard when he knew of her and Liara’s history. His discomfort only came from it feeling like he was deceiving Shepard, which was not a way to begin a relationship with anyone, romantic or not. Liara was soon afforded an opportunity to see both of them when she discovered strange happenings at her office, seemingly looking like someone was watching her. She even received a message where they called themselves “The Observer” along with a set of clues. Shepard arrived soon after, and Liara kissed her in greeting. Thane and Garrus accompanied her, with Thane shifting uncomfortably. Liara explained the mess with “The Observer”, sending Shepard to work. 

Shepard soon found getting to the bottom of it wasn’t hard once she had discovered the pattern and how the connections fit. She deduced it had been Nyxeris, feeding information to the Shadow Broker that she hadn’t intended him to know without Liara knowing, until now. 

Shepard returned to Liara later in the evening, after uncovering Nyxeris’ betrayal. Liara greeted her with a kiss, pulling her in for a hug. Shepard had hurried Thane and Garrus back to the Normandy SR-2, hoping to have a few moments to herself with Liara. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” Liara told her, rubbing her head against Shepard’s, “the last two years have been difficult without you.”

“But?” Shepard offered, knowing she wasn’t done.

“But portions of the last year, the blow was lessened with someone else in my life. Someone you have grown to trust and know on your ship,” Liara explained.

“One of my crew is someone you’re close to? In what way?” Shepard asked.

“Well, this isn’t easy to explain, but while you were… gone, I developed a relationship with one of your crew. Just after the anniversary of your death, I met Thane. Things progressed from there.”

“I’m sure I can draw my own conclusions about what kinds of things. Honestly, I can’t really be that surprised. For all you knew, I was gone. My body may still have been alive, but you had no way of knowing that I would actually come back. I can’t be mad at you for that,” Shepard responded as their hug broke, leading Liara to sit on the couch with her, “I still love you, but the decision is yours as to who you stay with. I have a feeling you would react similarly.”

“Well, therein lies the problem. I love him. I love you. I just don’t see how one of those negates the other. It could come from my inexperience in matters of the heart, but the both of you hold a special place for me. I just would prefer not to have to choose one of you over the other,” Liara stated.

“That’s… different than what I expected you to say. Is this something the two of you have discussed as well?” Shepard asked, still surprised by the admission. 

“It has come up once or twice and it was his suggestion. However, your thoughts on the matter would still be considered greatly.”

“I think I would need some time and the three of us would need to talk together in order to see if it can or will work out. I’ve grown to know him as a friend, but I have not proceeded since I care for you.”

“I love you Shepard. I really do. But I love him too. Each of you do things for me in ways I can’t really describe. I understand if you want me to break it off with him, but all I’m asking is that you try. At least try to see it. I am happy with you. My love for him helped me in my time of mourning. Without him, I may not be as I am before you now. I owe him so much. We both do.”

Shepard sat, contemplating Liara’s request. She wasn’t asking that she engage in suh a relationship with Thane, but she was asking her to entertain the idea of her being able to carry on with him. The few relationships she had engaged with never had progressed to the point where she was at with Liara, all of them ending with broken hearts or straying. She didn’t want that to be the way where this would go, but something in her was discontent with the idea. She knew Liara could be happy with her, but something told her that not trying could have bad effects on them in the long run. 

“Ok,” she reassured herself, “I will keep an open mind.”

\--------------------------------------

Shepard returned to the Normandy after saying her goodbyes to Liara on Ilium. Her first thought was to check in with the crew, but her conversation with Liara prompted her to go to Thane immediately. She waiting for the elevator to reach the third floor, heading over to Life Support. The arid room provided him comfort in his months aboard the ship and dealing with Kepral’s Syndrome, making life easier for him.

“Hello Shepard,” he called from the desk, cup of coffee in front of him. He had unpacked his assortment of weapons, displaying them on the backlit shelves throughout the room. 

“Got a minute to talk?” she asked, sensing the unease after talking with Liara, hoping she didn’t give off her own sense of discomfort.

 

“Of course,” he replied, “what do you want to talk about?”

“You and Liara,” she said warmly, gauging his reaction. His eyes widened.

“Shepard, I.. if I had known when she and I… uh,” he stammered, trying to explain as best he could.

“Do you feel guilty about going after my girlfriend?” she asked, a slight purr to her voice. Despite meeting the Drell only a few weeks prior, she felt a strange satisfaction in catching him off his game, as she guessed it didn’t happen too often. 

“In that way that an individual feels guilty for getting caught, yes. I do love her though,” he admitted, having not told anyone but Liara of such a thing.

“Well, for now, keep with it. My goal is to get to know you. We have been talking, she and I, and I want to see how well I fit with you. I want her to be happy, which is the only reason why I’m initially considering this. However, it may be fun to watch you squirm,” Shepard said with a leer, “you are rather adorable when you don’t have the upper hand.”

His skin took on a darker shade of green as the frill at his throat blushed a deep crimson. 

“Now, just in talking with you, Mordin has warned me that touching you with skin to skin contact will cause hallucinations, which at this point, either asari are immune to or able to ignore in some way, as Liara didn’t mention them to me.”

“Yes,” Thane agreed, reminding himself of the reality of the situation, “my skin would cause you to have rather intense hallucinations, as we secrete a poison-like substance not dissimilar to frogs on your planet. I have only had to worry of such things on a few missions prior to now, as skin to skin human contact is not common for me. My jobs usually don’t require me to touch my victim unless I have to lure them in with less than conventional tactics.”

“Good to know,” Shepard replied, “I just want you to know, that I, like you, want to make Liara happy. I want to be happy too. I know that when she’s with you, she’s happy too. She’s happy with me, but I have a feeling that without one of us, she would be a mess. You can likely attest to this.”

Thane nodded in agreement, allowing Shepard to continue.

“Because even with you, before I came back, she was still hit with sadness. She still hurt from losing me. Despite her 108 years, she’s still as fragile as any in their first relationship, and in some ways, the second because she’s new to the experience. I don’t fault her for finding comfort in you. I’m not angry with you because you had no way to know what you were getting into. If this can work so everyone is happy, that’s what I want,” Shepard continued, exhaling quickly near the end. 

“That being said,” Shepard said, getting up to lean across the table, “I want to understand why she finds you so fascinating.” She leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the lips, surprising him she could tell, as his eyes were wide when she pulled away. Her vision began to waver as she started for the door. 

“I-- Shepard, I know we have been talking. I know you care a great deal for Liara. I care for her as well. I have come to respect you as a commander, a comrade, a friend. I just don’t know if I’m ready to take the leap into lover, even if I was the one who instigated the friendship between us. I’m not saying no. I’m just saying I want to take things slower,” he explained, touching his fingers to his lips, testing the reality of the situation, “I love Liara, I do, but it flourished over months, not days. She would barely let me near her at the start, as she was so hung up on you that she hadn’t begun to pull herself from the reverie she had built for herself in hopes of your return, despite the sadness she was enveloped in. I know my part was little, but I feel responsible in bringing her back to now.”

Shepard listened from the door, having moved toward it in her wobbled haze. She hadn’t kissed him long enough to cause any kind of effect beyond the dizziness, but she still hoped she could make it to her quarters without falling on the floor. Thane got up, closing the distance between the two of them.

“Now, it’s my turn to help you. Come on,” he said, putting his arm around her waist, “we’re going to your quarters and you will lay down. I’ll grab some supplies from Mordin.”

\------------------------------------

Shepard laid down on her bed, her head spinning. She had wondered briefly what would have happened if she had sustained the kiss for longer. Thane returned after leaving her for a few minutes in her quarters, having returned from talking with Mordin. Thane applied a thin balm to her lips, easing her dizziness. He also handed her a bottle, telling her to drink a mouthful. She did as she was asked, her vision soon calming. 

“If that was just a kiss, I wonder what other kinds of contact would do?” she said with a leer.

“Shepard, give yourself some time to recover. Like I said before, hallucinations. I would also like some time to adjust to the proposition, as I wasn’t sure you would go for it in the first place,” he stated calmly, sitting on the corner of the bed.

“But that’s just the thing, Thane, we don’t have forever,” Shepard told him, finally regaining her senses, “with the suicide mission that we’re hurtling towards, and the threat of Reapers not far off of that, we may not have as much time as you would think.”

“Yes, those are several things that limit our time,” Thane replied, looking down at the floor, “and as you know, I have Kepral’s Syndrome. Liara is aware of it, but I don’t think she realizes how advanced it is. I didn’t want to alarm her, when I wasn’t sure how much longer I could last. The last time I checked in with a doctor was right before I came aboard the Normandy. They told me I had less than a year. Three months, which is why I agreed to come along, as well as why I agreed to the deal between the three of us.”

“So… she doesn’t know that she’s going to lose you soon?” Shepard asked.

“No, not yet. I need to tell her because while I knew it was advanced, I didn’t know that it had gotten so bad that there was just three months of my life left. Supposedly,” he replied, hanging his head, “I just couldn’t tell her right away. She was still distraught over losing you and I didn’t want to hurt her more.”

“So you figured you would save her the anguish when you died on a mission, covering up the disease?” Shepard asked, her tone flaring a little.

“I don’t know what I was thinking…” He trailed off, still staring intently at the floor.

“Look, I can see why you would set it up that way,” Shepard reasoned, “in a way, deep down, you wanted to save her the pain of watching you slowly waste away in a hospital bed. Something we don’t take into account is that asari live much longer than Drell or humans. You’re what, 35? 40? I’m 31. Liara’s 106. You have about 50 years left tops, if you lived to the age of an average Drell. I have about 120. She has 894. She’s going to outlive us no matter what way we look at it. Whether you die of Kepral’s in a few months, whether I die in a year, whether we both die in five, 30 or 100 years. She’s still going to outlive us. It’s morbid to think about, but not telling her vital information about your health isn’t going to help you two, hell us three, in the long run. Communication and honesty are what’s important in a relationship, any relationship. So I think we need to make a trip to Ilium.”

“Now?” Thane asked, surprised.

“Yes now,” Shepard replied, “look, I like you enough to consider the arrangement the two of your want to propose.”

Shepard took her time getting up, taking Thane offer of help. The two of them made their way to the galaxy map, locating Ilium and setting a path. 

“Shepard?” Joker asked, “why are we heading back to Ilium? We don’t have anything scheduled there.”

“Since nothing is scheduled, this would be an unscheduled stop,” Shepard sassed, “just take us there.”

“You got it, Commander,” Joker replied dryly.

“We should get there soon,” Shepard said to Thane from over her shoulder, “we weren’t too far in the first place.”


	16. Propositions

Within a few hours, Shepard and Thane had stepped out of the Normandy, Garrus in tow. 

“Now, why am I coming along if the two of you are the ones who need to talk to Liara?” Garrus asked, a slight whine to his voice.

“We need someone to watch outside Liara’s apartment, ya know, in case anyone… attacks,” Shepard replied unconvincingly. Thane nodded in agreement.

“Will you two at least tell me what’s going on once we head back?” Garrus asked.

“Perhaps,” Thane replied, taking the lead. Shepard and Garrus followed behind, as Thane was most familiar of the location of Liara’s apartment. Shepard sent Liara a message, alerting her that they would be on their way. The evening air was cool as they trotted along, putting distance between them and the spaceport. 

The trio arrived at Liara’s apartment, Thane punching in the code to unlock the door. The pad blinked red as the code refused their entry. Thane punched it in again, growing frustrated. Liara came to the door a moment later, looking out either side of the door before allowing the three of them in. 

“Why was the code different, Liara?” Thane asked, shedding his jacket.

“Nyxeris knew the old one. With her… no longer employed by me anymore, I didn’t want to take any chances,” she explained, greeting Shepard and Thane with hugs, “Garrus, you look well. I wasn’t expecting you to come along too.”

“Just in case something happened,” he replied with a smirk, motioning to the widow on his back.

“Right,” Liara replied, motioning for them to sit. 

“Thane and I need to talk with Liara,” Shepard told Garrus, motioning for him to stay in the living room as they headed to her bedroom. Liara closed the door to the room, as she was soon met with Thane’s lips sealing over hers in a frantic kiss. 

“I’ve missed you,” he told her. Shepard similarly greeted Liara, kissing her more tenderly, the balm fresh from where she had applied it before entering the room. She couldn’t risk hallucinations through proxy, not when they had plenty to talk about. 

“I miss you too, Liara,” Shepard said as the kiss broke.

“What brings both of you here? I was surprised that the two of you would come together,” Liara commented, slightly uneasy.

“Well,” Shepard started, “Thane and I have been getting to know each other. Rather well actually. We’ve come to the conclusion that your proposition for a relationship between the three of us is good for all of us. However, there are some things that need to be said to everyone so we’re all on the same footing. Thane, I think you should go first.”

“I think that seems fair,” Thane continued, “Liara, I haven’t been entirely honest? Is that the right term?” He looked over at Shepard as he caught a glimpse of Liara’s face as he turned, her face falling. 

“Well, like I said, I haven’t told you everything,” Thane went on, “Liara, I have Kepral’s Syndrome, as I have hinted to previously. But I haven’t told you about how severe it is. The morning I left your apartment before going after Nassana Dantius, I went to the Salarian specialist who was across the city. He informed me that I had about three months left. It’s why I wasn’t so concerned about joining Shepard’s cause when Miranda contacted me. I have loved the time I have spent with you, but I was hoping to cover up how sick I was in case I didn’t come back from the mission. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

“I wish I could say that I hadn’t know about this,” Liara replied, “but I appreciate you telling me finally.”

“Is there anything you don’t know?” Shepard asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Not really know. I even know about… in your cabin. This evening,” Liara looked around her room, hoping to find something to focus on.

“Were you spying on us?” Thane asked, more amused than annoyed. 

“Spying is such a dishonest word,” Liara replied, a smile creeping across her face, “so for the record, I am not mad. If anything, I’m happy that communication is helping overall. Now.” She moved across the room, grabbing each of them by the hand. She pulled them with her, sitting on the end of her bed,Shepard and Thane each taking a seat on either side of her. Thane rested his head on Liara’s right shoulder, his arm around her waist. Shepard laid her head in Liara’s lap, Thane other hand resting on her head. 

“This is certainly different than any other relationship I have entered into,” Thane said, his hands smoothing out Shepard’s crimson hair as he gave Liara a squeeze. 

“It certainly isn’t as common,” Liara added, “but it seeming to be what works for us. So far.”

Shepard murmured happily before bringing herself upright, and hugging Liara from the side.

“Ok,” Shepard began, “how does this work in the long run? Liara for the most part has to stay here on Ilium. That leaves Thane and I around one another more often than not. How is that fair to you?”

“Well,” Liara replied, “I gathered that I would not be able to be present much of the time in the first place. However, I’ve spent more time with each of you than you have spent with one another. I think you two would benefit from getting to know one another on a more personal scale so that when we are allowed to have time as the three of us, we are more comfortable. Or at least that would be the plan. And if we’re able to be together, the three of us.”

“The three of us are together now,” Shepard commented, pulling away from Liara, “what’s stopping us?”

“Garrus is in the next room,” Thane commented, pulling away from the two women, “I do not believe such courses of action would be wise. Not unless we want him to hear of our discretions.”

“He has a point,” Liara added, getting up from her spot between them. Shepard’s eyes followed her, a hunger growing in them that she hadn’t seen since she had arrived. 

“Point or not, it has been a long time,” Shepard replied, standing, her face inches from Liara, “I’ve missed you so much.” Shepard took the opportunity to kiss Liara then, taking her time as their lips touched lightly at first, her hands on either side of Liara’s face. Shepard’s tongue slid along Liara’s lips. Liara’s tongue met hers, the kiss deepening. Shepard noted the low notes reverberating up Liara’s throat, breaking their kiss. Thane took his cue to stand, his body soon pressed up against Liara’s backside, his hands settling on her hips. As Shepard kissed along her jaw and down her neck on Liara’s left side, Thane took hold of the right, adding more sensory to the experience. Shepard’s hand trailed down Liara’s clothed body, tugging at the fabric of her dress. She could feel the muscles rippling as Liara tensed and relaxed from the touches, kisses, caresses. 

“Who ever said two could feel this good,” Liara said to no one, her hands pressing at the suit between the plates of Shepard’s armor. 

“Lots of people have said it, but it has mostly been in extranet vids that usually have to be paid for to see,” Shepard replied nonchalantly, quickly returning to the soft skin of Liara’ neck.

“Then how would you know about them?” Thane asked with a grin, giving a light bite on Liara’s skin.

The two of them kept their attentions on Liara, listening to the soft moans and noises escaping her mouth. Thane stopped, sitting on the bed behind them and motioning to Shepard to lead Liara back. Liara soon found herself sitting in Thane’s lap, her legs on either side of his. Thane took his time, running his hands over her belly and sides, as Shepard moved forward with her, unstrapping the armor plating. She discarded her chestplate, greaves, arm guards, stripping herself down to her under armor. Liara took her chance to move her hands up Shepard’s hips, pulling her forward to kiss the under armor covering her abdomen. Liara hugged her as she sat on Thane’s lap.

“As fun as this is, you two, I don’t think it is quite appropriate right now. Not with Garrus here,” Liara commented, shifting in Thane’s lap.

“When else are we going to have a time with the three of us though?” Thane asked, hugging her tight. 

“I imagine that we’ll be able to find a time to work together. Enjoy ourselves together. I promise,” Liara told them both, leaning into Thane’s hug and pulling Shepard in for one as well, “at least until then, I have something I can give you both so that we always have a place that is reserved for the three of us.” 

Shepard looked down, noticing Liara’s eyes turning back. She noticed the scenery around the three of them had changed. They were standing on a grassy hill, a slight breeze moving the leaves of a nearby tree. 

“Where…?” Thane asked, confused.

“Sorry, I should have given you both more warning. This is the place I go to when I want to get away. I have brought you both here so that I can share the place that has always brought me happiness, even when I felt like it would never come to me again. My gift to you both is sharing that happiness, this place, that feeling, because both of you amplify it in me so much that my heart swells close to bursting,” Liara explained, “this is where I went when you died, Shepard. It’s where I went when you would leave on missions, Thane. It’s where I went when I was unsure of the ability to be able to have both of you in my life. This is a field near my childhood home on Thessia. We did not live there long, as my mother’s involvement in politics kept me from staying in one place too much, but it has always been a place of calm.” 

Liara walked over to the tree, sitting down at the base of it. The other two followed her, taking in the scenery. The purple and orange sunset began to cast itself over the sky as the sun went down. Liara motioned for each of them to sit next to her. Thane settled on her right, resting his head on her shoulder, and Shepard to her left, taking her hand. 

“This is beautiful Liara,” Shepard commented, her fingers caressing Liara’s hand. 

“Indeed,” Thane added, his eyes closing as a soft breeze passed them. Shepard blinked a moment after and the three of them were back in Liara’s apartment, sitting on the bed now, as if they had never left. Liara blinked rapidly, bringing herself back. The blackness left her eyes.

“I’ve never done that with two other people before. I frankly I wasn’t sure if it would work,” she admitted with a sigh, “I am a bit dizzy after it though.”

“Reminds me of the first time you went into my mind on the SR-1,” Shepard stated.

“The overwhelming nature of the whole ordeal felt very similar yes, but I’m not quite as worn out as I was then,” Liara replied, leaving a kiss on Thane’s shoulder, “while it was more taxing, I have gotten more used to bonding in general.”

“That was beautiful, siha,” Thane commented, giving her a squeeze from the side, “I hope we have time to make it to Thessia one of these day. I would love to see it, even if it’s only once.”

“I think if we have the time, that could work,” Shepard replied, with Liara nodding in agreement. 

“How long have we been up here?” Liara asked, looking over at the clock, “you two don’t have anywhere to be, do you?”

“No, but Garrus has been sitting out there a while. Either he’s looking for some sort of program to watch or he’s attempting to rig open your window to shoot at imaginary targets,” Shepard commented, getting up and reaching to help Liara and Thane to their feet. Liara took the chance to huge Shepard, opening the hug to include Thane as well, though he was careful to not risk skin to skin contact with Shepard. The hug broke and Liara was the first to head for the door, Garrus calling up to them, despite their inability to hear exactly what he was saying.

“What was that Garrus?” Shepard asked.

“Are you three done in there, or should I come up and help?” he repeated, polishing his widow. Liara turned a darker shade of blue, not quite purple this time.

“Why Garrus? You jealous?” Shepard retorted, noticing Thane’s muffled laugh behind a cough.

“No, not at all. You just should be allowed all the fun.”

“Maybe not,” Shepard replied, leaving a kiss on Liara, with Thane soon following.

\------------------------------------------------------

The walk back to the spaceport wasn’t terribly exciting, save the slight bounce that Shepard and Thane had in their step. Thane’s gloved hand found its way to Shepard’s arm, tracing the length until he found her hand, lacing his fingers in with hers. She looked over at him as they walked, giving him a smile. She squeezed his hand in reply, drawing a grunt out of Garrus.

“What?” Shepard asked, looking over to him.

“Just didn’t realize that the two of you are a thing, that’s all,” Garrus stated, “actually, I wasn’t sure overall.”

“Well, more accurately, the three of us are together, but Liara isn’t able to come along with us,” Thane replied, looking at Garrus from beyond Shepard.

“Oh. Not what I expected, but if it works for you three, it’s just the same,” Garrus replied with a smile. 

“Glad to hear it, Garrus,” Shepard replied as they reached the spaceport. As they boarded the Normandy, Thane’s hand didn’t leave Shepard’s until she made it to the galaxy map and he left in the elevator, heading to life support. Shepard considered her… their options of where to go next. Stopped, coming to the realization that the had not yet gathered the Justicar for their mission. Shepard called for Thane and Garrus in the communicator, telling them to pack their weapons to head off to find Samara.


	17. Distance

 

Liara found their messages to be more and more infrequent as they got closer and closer to gathering all the people and resources they needed to be able to jump into the Omega 4 relay. The option for loneliness wasn’t something she tried to allow, but it still crept in, especially when she hadn’t heard from either Thane or Shepard in a few days. She busied herself looking up information that she could find to take down the Shadow Broker hoping she could find enough on him to be able to finally locate him and take him down for the deals he tried to do with Shepard’s body after the now-confirmed Collector attack on the Normandy SR-1. She had multiple files gathered, all with information leading to the conspiracy that would lead her to the Shadow Broker if she was only able to dig deeper.

 

            _Shepard,_

_I am close to finding the Shadow Broker. I need your help._

_~Liara_

 

Shepard sent a quick message back, claiming she was on her way after receiving a message from Cerberus about intel they had for Liara. Liara was distraught that she was unable to just forward the intel to her, but understood that she needed to ensure it would make it to her and only her. Liara was however, forwarded the message that Cerberus had Shepard.

 

To: Liara

 

>To: Shepard

>From: Cerberus Information Processing

> 

>We're aware that your old friend Liara T'Soni has been hunting for the Shadow Broker for >several years. We wouldn't mind helping her in that hunt, given the Broker's past work for the >Collectors. We recently uncovered some information that might give Liara a lead on where to >find the Shadow Broker's base of operations, but unfortunately, she doesn't have much faith in >Cerberus intel. If you'd visit Illium and pass it on to her as a gesture of goodwill, we'd appreciate >it.

 

Hopefully this will confirm some of your suspicions.

                        ~D.S.

 

Liara smiled, grateful for the information and the ability to see Shepard and hopefully Thane again. She was in the process of packing up her things in hopes of meeting with Shepard soon when she heard a knock at her door. Through the windows near it, she could see an asari. _Spectre_. The insignia on her shoulder gave her away, but something was off. The asari outside her door paced, giving away her face. Liara stopped, looking for a way to hide her information in case she needed to flee. _Tela Vasir._ The purple markings on her face were known throughout Ilium as being less than accepting of the word “no” when it came to investigations. She would play herself off as sweet and helpful in hopes of throwing off whatever trail Vasir had come across.

 

“Open up, T’Soni!” Spectre Vasir called from outside the door. Liara prepared herself to flee, hiding her most precious of information in places only Shepard would find it. Gunshots rang out, snapping her from her thoughts as she headed to the back door.

 

“Not so fast, T’Soni!” Spectre Vasir yelled as she aimed a warp in Liara’s direction, missing her, but not by much. Liara threw a singularity at her, causing her smaller belonging to float, but Vasir dodged it, firing at Liara all the same. Vasir hit the glass wall behind Liara, allowing her escape. Spectre Vasir muttered a curse under her breath as she realized that not only was Liara still alive, but the communication that just came in told her that Shepard had just arrived on Ilium. as Liara ran, she passed the local shops, making her way to Eternity. She was seconds away from sending a message to Shepard to warn her of Vasir at her apartment when she received a message from Shepard herself, concerned at the state of her apartment and wondering if she was okay. _I need to get back there before Shepard is ripped apart by Vasir._ Liara stopped herself before she headed out, looking at Aethyta at the bar. She handed her a credit chit containing the ability to access her bank accounts should she go missing as well as a copy of all her information.

 

“I trust you to keep this safe, Aethyta,” Liara told her, pressing the items into the older asari’s palm.

 

“Anything for my little girl,” Aethyta replied softly, her smile reaching her eyes

 

“What did you say?” Liara asked, unsure if she had heard correctly.

 

“Nothing, Liara. Go,” Aethyta commanded.

 

Liara took off, running back in the direction of her ruined apartment. In the distance, she could see metallic blue reflecting back at her. _So she brought Garrus along_. It wasn’t long before she encountered Thane as well, the green reflecting off the sun, making it shine in comparison to his black leather.

 

“Thane!” she called, catching his attention, waving him over to her, “Vasir isn’t who she says she is. She was the one who attacked me. I will be there in a second. Warn Shepard if you can. I need to make sure my pistol is loaded.”

 

“Got it,” he replied, giving her a quick kiss before running off.

 

Liara popped the heat sink in her M-6 Carnifex as well as prepping her M-9 Tempest, readying each of them in case she needed to fire. She crept closer to the apartment, hearing muffled voices around the corner. Shepard was talking with Vasir and by the lack of firefight, Thane hadn’t been able to warn Shepard yet. Liara moved closer, alerting Vasir and shepard to her presence, outing Vasir’s plot to eliminate her. Shepard pointed out that she had found Liara’s information, tossing it to Liara as soon as she noticed she had appeared.

 

“Shepard, she was the one who did this, who attacked me,” Liara explained. Vasir’s anger at being found out prompted her to attack, attempting to throw them off. The battle ensued, but in the end, Shepard, Liara, Garrus, and Thane were able to best Vasir and her crew. Shepard sent Garrus back after defeating her, with Liara joining her. Liara smirked. _I wonder how well the Shadow Broker will be able to handle three biotically inclined individuals once we find him?_

 

They kept on the trail, heading into Hagalaz. The planet itself was hostile, but Liara helped locate the Shadow Broker’s ship following the electrical storm that engulfed the planet. The swarms of LOKI mechs that met them on the exterior of the ship was laughable considering this was the Shadow Broker they expected to find.

 

“No one has ever gotten this far,” Liara called to the other two, “he probably doesn’t expect anyone to be this reckless.”

 

“We’re going to find him though,” Shepard shouted back. Thane nodded in agreement. The wind on the outside of the ship was enough to knock off any of them if they were hit by debris, so they were constantly aware of their surrounding, not only for the sake of the hordes of LOKI mechs being throw at them, but also in case they were hit with panels of ship. The journey to the door that took them into the “lair” as it was called was heavily guarded by more LOKI mechs and mercenaries as well as rocket drones flying about and  a door lock that required Liara’s attention. Shepard and Thane held off wave after wave of robot assailants, but not without each of them sustaining injury. Liara finally got the door open, allowing the three of them to push inside, only to be ambushed by more mercenaries ranging from agents to engineer to a heavy, all of them intent on taking the three of them down.

 

Through the thick of it and after more mercenaries blocking their path, Liara spotted Feron behind glass, strapped to a chair. His arms, leg sna torso were secured, keeping him from escaping.

 

“Feron!” Liara called, alerting the other drell to their presence.

 

“Liara no!” he yelled back, but she had already hit the switch to free him. She was surprised when his body went rigid from the jolt of electricity that coursed through his body, making him go limp once it stopped. He regained consciousness a few moments later as Liara apologized profusely through the glass, begging him to forgive her.

 

“You can’t get me out. Not yet,” he called.

 

“We’ll find a way to free you Feron,” Shepard called to him.

 

“We won’t forget you. We’ll come back,” Liara told him.

 

“Another boyfriend you picked up, Liara?” Shepard asked with a sideways smirk.

 

“No,” she replied, smacking Shepard on the arm as she noticed Thane smirking too, “he helped me retrieve your body after you were spaced.”

 

“Oh. Well then. Let’s go so we can come back for him,” Shepard reasoned, motioning for the three of them to continue on.

 

They soon found the Shadow Broker’s interior lair, bathed in blue light. He was sitting by several consoles, his form large and imposing, even while sitting down.

 

“You know why we’re here,” Shepard called to the shadowed form.

 

“And you know that your actions are needlessly reckless, considering your history, Commander. Turn back now,” the Shadow Broker replied, his voice low.

 

“Let Feron go!” Liara demanded.

 

“That won’t be happening. It’s your fault that he’s even here. I could still give you to the Collectors, Shepard,” the Shadow Broker said calmly, “Krios, I could easily arrange imprisonment for you as well.”

 

“Why are you making threats when you’re just a yagh. You were probably just a pet that got out of control. Your species was passed over for space flight because you were too aggressive, so the only reason why you would be in a position of power in the first place is if you killed your master, the actual Shadow Broker,” Liara yelled defiantly, enraging the beast.

 

“You will pay for your insults,” the Shadow Broker growled, readying his attack.

 

Liara nodded to Shepard, and the two of them joined up against him. It took longer than initially planned to take him down, but the final blow, delivered by Liara, with the lights crashing down brought him down finally.

 

“Now for us…” Shepard stated, pulling Liara in for a kiss.

\---------------------------------

 

Shepard invited Liara and Thane into her cabin in the Normandy. Liara stepped foot into the new Normandy, marveling at the detail that went into replicating and improving what was, what she thought, a perfect design. Liara ran her fingers along the guardrail surrounding the galaxy map, commenting on the change to the elevator. Shepard bade the both of them to follow her, garnering some glances from the ever watchful Kelly, giving the three of them a smile. Shepard pushed the button for the top floor to her cabin, pulling each of them in for a kiss once the door had shut. The doors slid open and Liara took in all the additions that Shepard had in her cabin, from the extended sitting area to the bathroom. Liara made it over to the bed, sitting on the end of it, looking up at the skylight above the bed. The stars shone above them as Liara wiggled her way up the bed, watching the bits of space move past them. Thane joined her, curling up on her right side this time, leaving his coat on the trunk near the bed. Shepard shed her armor, slipping into her more comfortable Cerberus casual wear. Shepard sat next to Liara’s left side, shedding her boots and tossing them by the wall.

 

Tonight was for them and no amount of prying eyes would be able to keep them from that.

 

\----------------------------------------

 

Liara waited impatiently at the Citadel, now that she could take her information broking on the go, being the Shadow Broker and all. She knew that everyone had survived the suicide mission, but she still worried about each member of the crew as she waited for them to dock. Each minute that passed bubbled up insecurity and doubt, making her wonder if they would make it out and back to the Citadel without being attacked. The collectors had posed problems for them before, but not like this. Not when she had to worry if not just one, but both of the people she loved would make it back from the mission everyone said they wouldn’t return from. So far the mission itself was a success based on the communication from Shepard after they left the collector base, but they still had to make it back.

 

Her worry turned to excitement as she saw the yellow and black of the Normandy SR-2 come into view. She hoped that everyone would be safe, but she also knew that injuries were likely. Jack came out first from the ship’s hatch once it had docked, looking a little worse for wear as she was being carried out on Miranda’s back. She had a look on her face that burned with embarrassment, but Miranda’s smile was enough to know she was proud of Jack no matter what had happened. Once the two reached the solid ground of the platform, Miranda set her down, putting an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek, whispering something in her ear. Liara waved hello at the two. Jack gave her a wary look, untrusting, as Miranda bade her hello.

 

“Jack overworked herself by being a biotic beast,” Miranda commented as they hobbled by, keeping a tight grip on her.

 

“I’m fucking awesome, is what I am,” Jack called back.

 

Garrus, Tali, Grunt, and Kasumi shuffled out, bringing shaken crew members with them. Legion followed, his armor covered in warped plating from what looked like extreme temperatures. Samara seemed to be the only one able to hold a semblance of grace as she exited, her face only showing minor scratches as she escorted a visably distraught Chakwas. Jacob, Mordin, and Zaeed wandered out looking a little worse for wear, and Liara became worried, as Thane and Shepard had yet to show their faces. Liara ran into the ship’s docking hatch, running into Shepard holding up Thane. Liara fumbled, holding onto the two of them in an effort to keep all of them from falling.

 

“Is he ok?” Liara asked, panicked.

 

“He will be soon. Chakwas already looked him over. She thinks his Kepral’s is getting worse,” Shepard explained as Thane managed a weak smile.

 

“I will be ok, siha,” he told Liara as she cupped his face in her hands, kissing his lips. Liara took up station in helping Shepard support Thane as they shuffled slowly toward the elevator in the docking bay, riding it to the transport to take them to the hospital.


	18. Mingling

“That should be able to keep him going for a bit longer,” Dr. Michel stated as she finished the transfusion of what little Drell blood that they had on the Citadel, “it should help slow the symptoms, but overall, it will only buy him some time. His Kepral’s is very advanced.”

 

“I will stay with you two as long as I can,” Thane explained, as the last of the blood made it into his body.

 

“I’m going to set it up to have my apartment moved to the Citadel so that in the event that we are here for a long period due to your medical care, we have a place to stay besides the Normandy,” Liara explained to Thane and Shepard, punching in the needed information to give movers access to her apartment on Ilium, as well as pay them, while searching for a suitable apartment on the Citadel.

 

“I will try to find something close to the hospital, like right there,” she mused, clicking the purchase button on her datapad, “my items should arrive in the next week.”

 

“Liara, sometimes your resources scare me,” Shepard commented, laying her head on Liara’s shoulder as she held her hand out to help Thane up, “come on, let’s get you back to the Normandy so you can rest.”

 

Thane didn’t put up too much protest as each of the women helped steady him on their short transit ride back to the Normandy and the quick walk to the elevator. Thane stopped as soon as they hit the docking bay, looking somewhat pale and out of breath. Shepard, having already shed her armor before leaving the ship, crouched down to carry him on her back with the help of Liara to steady them as he climbed on. He rested his head against her shoulder, grateful to not have to walk the last steps into the ship. The trio made their way across the bridge, past Joker’s flippant remarks and EDI’s inquiry as to if she should page Chakwas from the hospital aboard the Citadel to come check on him. Liara pacified EDI’s inquiries as Shepard continued on with Thane on her back, hopeful to get him to her bed before exhaustion overtook her as well.

 

As Liara caught up, the door slid open to Shepard’s cabin, the two of the laying side by side on the too large bed. Liara made her way down the stairs after feeding the fish, bending at the foot of the bed to help each of them out of their boots and jackets. After making himself more comfortable on the bed, Thane managed a weak smile before his eyes closed, the excitement from the suicide mission and the ride back finally taking its toll on his body. Shepard was conscious for a bit longer, aching and slipping into sweats and a t-shirt. With Thane taking up the left side of the bed, already fast asleep, Shepard shimmied her way into the middle, tossing Liara a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from her trunk. Liara gave her a quizzical look but shrugged, changing out of her dress and into the unfamiliar pants and shirt. Shepard had already grabbed an extra blanket from out of her storage, laying a third of it over Thane as Liar slid up next to her. Shepard was careful to not touch her skin directly against his skin, but she rested her hand against his covered hip, her fingers tracing patterns. Liara pressed herself up against Shepard, lacing one arm under her neck to pull her closer as the other hand rested next to Shepard on Thane’s thigh. He let out a murmur in his sleep and Liara smiled, pressing a kiss into the nape of Shepard’s neck along the hairline. Liara found herself the last one asleep, the other two’s breathing slowing as the challenges they had faced caught up with them, finally able to unwind from the impossible mission they had succeeded at. _I will ask them in the morning._

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

Shepard woke first in the morning, pressing herself against Thane’s sleeping form in an ambitious hug. Liara woke as soon as she felt Shepard stirring, her fingers running down Shepard’s back in a playful gesture. Shepard spun around, as Thane was still grogging himself awake. Liara met her with a mischievous grin, pressing her mouth to the human’s in the way she had wanted when they returned, but had been unable to due to fatigue. Their kiss broke and Liara tucked Shepard’s head under her chin, hugging her close in the warmth of the shared bed. Thane turned over to face them, careful to touch Shepard where she was still clothed and placed a kiss on her back. Shepard cooed happily, hoping to find a way to snuggle herself into the both of them. Thane too the cue and removed himself from the blanket, wrapping it under Shepard so he could enfold her in his arms as she was still tucked under Liara’s chin.

 

“I’m glad you both came back alive,” Liara said as she broke the silence, relief permeating her tone. She pulled back from Shepard to prop herself up over her, pulling Thane into a kiss. Shepard watched in amusement. As their kiss broke, Shepard pulled Thane to her, giving him the same fervor that Liara just had. As the kiss broke, Liara stifled a laugh as Shepard’s face had this far-off look, soon rubbing her body across the blankets that engulfed her. The mild hallucinations subsided within a few minutes, with Shepard taking her turn to kiss Liara, nibbling on her lip.

 

“So I take it you won out there, else you probably wouldn’t have all come back, right?” Liara asked as she removed herself from the bed, leaving Shepard to wiggle in the blankets some more.

 

“The entire situation was awful, but we made it through with the best possible outcome,” Shepard replied, snuggled down so thoroughly that only her bright red hair and piercing violet eyes were visible.

 

“Are you feeling better?” Liara asked Thane as she sat next to his legs.

 

“Yes, siha, I am. The mission just took a lot out of me is all,” he deflected.

 

“Not only that but you’re worsening. I haven’t seen you look that worn after a mission,” Shepard commented as she turned over, “you need to take it easy for a bit.”

 

“Perhaps,” he replied, making eye contact with the floor.

 

Liara stood back up, reaching down to help up Thane, wrapping her arm around his waist to steady him as he gained his balance.

 

“You sure you’re ok?” she asked again, concerned.

 

“Yes,” he replied with a smile, “I do appreciate the concern though. Shepard, food?”

 

“Foooooood,” Shepard replied, still feeling some effects from kissing Thane.

 

“I think that means yes,” Liara commented, smiling over at the both of them.

 

“Mess hall or Citadel restaurant?” Shepard asked.

 

“Mess hall,” they replied in unison, to which Liara continued, “we don’t have to shower or get dressed for it.”

 

“Mess hall it is!”

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

The three of them lazily made their way down to the mess hall from Shepard’s cabin, riding the elevator from the top floor to the third. Shepard had managed to acquire quality provisions early  in her return to duty and luckily, those provisions were still holding out. The abundance of eggs still surprised her,Shepard, hoping that one day, they would soon be rid of them, or at least have few enough that they didn’t take up as much room in the large refrigeration unit in the cargo bay. Mess Sergeant Gardner was more than happy to oblige them a serving of breakfast, the fatigue showing on their faces despite the sleep they had the night before. Thane was the first to finish, each of them sharing glances at one another, as each of them was unsure how much and who of the crew knew of their arrangement.

 

On their way back from breakfast, before they got too far from the mess hall, they heard Miranda’s door slide open, the sound of muffled laughter escaping the door. They spotted Miranda bidding Jack goodbye with a kiss as the tattooed woman headed back to her quarters in the cargo bay. She was grinning from ear to ear in a way that none of them had seen her do, though it stopped as soon as she spun around, noticing the audience she had acquired.

 

“What are you fuckers looking at?” she asked with a snarl, the mask returning to her face as she stormed off. The trio raised eyebrows at one another unsure of the nature of the exchange they had just witnessed before they headed back up to Shepard’s cabin. Thane caught his breath, sitting himself on the couch across from Shepard’s bed in order to recuperate. Shepard grabbed a book from her personal items, sitting on the couch next to Thane, draping her legs over his lap. Liara took her place by Shepard head, forcing her to sit up so Shepard could rest her head in her lap. Liara had grabbed her datapad from her forgotten bag by the desk next to the stairs, scrolling through her list of apps and message notifications. Thane closed his eyes to rest, snapped out of his near-sleep like state each time Shepard woke him to read something from her book. Liara shook her her head, smiling at the exchange between the two of them, noting the soft upturn of Thane’s lips each time she pulled him away from his half-hearted meditations. Liara could tell that tired didn’t even begin to describe his state and that some rest was what he needed in order to get closer to his “old self.” _Except he’s only going to get worse as the months go on. It’s been six months since he was told he had three months to live and there have been little signs that he was getting worse and worse._ Liara opened a new tab in her extranet browser, looking for any kind of breakthroughs in the research and cure of Kepral’s Syndrome. She was saddened to find that most of the research ran cold years ago, as most doctors were only able to prolong the symptoms with lifestyle changes, but no definite cure had been found yet. She pushed it from the front of her thoughts, preferring to spend her time in the now when she had both Shepard and Thane with her, as the two of them wouldn’t be around her whole life.

 

Shepard caught the sad look on Liara’s face as soon as she thought of this, and she reached her hand up to pet Liara’s freckled cheek.

 

“What are you thinking about, beautiful?” Shepard asked as he hand traced the length of her jawline.

 

“Oh, nothing big, just that eventually, I will outlive both of you,” she said, a sad, lilting tone to her voice.

 

“What matters, siha, is that we make memories now to carry on past our time on this mortal plane so we never leave you even if we are no longer here,” Thane explained, not expecting tears to start rolling down her cheeks, “oh, Liara, it was not in my intention to upset you.”

 

“I know, I know, but I’m still early in my life. Like I’ve told Shepard, barely past the asari standard for a child. I’ve thought too much about the length of each of your life spans. How statistically, even if Drell usually live to be 85 and humans usually make it to 140 or 150 with the advances in medicine, that still leaves me alone for a minimum of about 800 years. That’s IF you two make it to you targeted life expectancy,” Liara added, wiping the tears from her cheeks, “but Thane, love, I know you’re not going to make it there. With the Reaper threat impending like you have warned everyone about Shepard, I’m not sure any of us will be here within the next year or so unless we find a way to take them out. I’ve been spending too much time focusing on how much time I have to live without you tw---” Shepard brought her fingers to Liara’s lips, halting her conversation.

 

“Love, you’re going to make yourself sick if you keep thinking about how much time you’ll have without us in the future instead of how much time you have with us now,” Shepard explained, “don’t waste the now on thinking about what if.” Liara kissed the fingers at her lips. She knew that she was right to be concerned, but Shepard had a point. _There’s no point on dwelling on it now when it will take away from the time I have with them._ Liara nuzzled her head into the softness of Shepard’s belly, causing Shepard to squirm when Liara’s nose tickled her scarred stomach flesh. Thane chuckled at the exchange. Liara shot him a look of mock anger, getting up from her position between them to storm off to the mess hall again, laughing as she left.

 

As the door slid closed behind her, Shepard slid over to Thane on the couch. She ran her fingers down his covered chest and legs. She eventually rested her head in his lap as Liara had done to her, looking up at his shining black eyes.

 

“What are you thinking about?” she asked in a hushed whisper, barely registering it as noise that had come out of her mouth.

 

“I’m thinking about how lucky I am to have the both of you after years of being alone. I’m thinking about how much it is going to hurt you two when I am gone. I’m thinking about how thankful I am that when I am gone, the two of you will have one another to keep you company so your grief is not in silence. I’m thinking about how I likely haven’t succombed to my disease because after all these years of allowing it to happen and not preventing it, I finally have something to live for,” he replied, some of the admissions in the same hushed whisper. He didn’t realize that a tear had run down his cheek until it had hit Shepard in the face, cluing her in to how vulnerable the disease made a master assassin feel.

 

“I would tell you that we’re going to beat this together, but I don’t want to lie to you. I do know that Liara and I will be with you for as long as we can. For as long as you hold out,” Shepard breathed.

 

Liara returned with a swish of the door opening, three mugs in her hands. She noted the position that Shepard was sitting in and grew concerned when she saw the glassiness of each of their eyes.

 

“What happened?” she inquired, handing each of them a hot mug of coffee.

 

“Just each of us talking about my mortality,” Thane offered, taking a sip of the coffee.

 

“Oh, is that all?” Liara asked sarcastically, “Thane, honey, you’re going to have to realize that the two of us aren’t going to take it well. No one will.”

 

He grumbled his acknowledgement of her words, focusing his attentions on the coffee in front of him. Shepard snaked her arm around his waist as he sat, pulling him in for an affectionate sideways hug. Liara took her moment to sit between his legs on the floor as he pet the tentacles on her head, eliciting a delighted response from the asari. They sat like that for a while until the remains of their coffee had gone cold, Shepard breaking the silence that had grown between them.

 

“Coffee’s good.”

 

Thane gave a throaty laugh, unsure if Shepard realized how ridiculous she sounded.

 

“This is why I love her,” Liara commented, earning an annoyed look from Shepard.

 

“I’m glad you had me see this side to her,” Thane responded, turning to give Shepard a kiss on her head, careful to ensure that her hair blocked the direct contact. Shepard leaned over to the table on the side of the couch, grabbing the specified balm that Mordin had given her so she could apply it to her lips. She pressed a kiss to his lips, allowing it to deepen. Liara turned her head back to watch the pair, spinning from her spot on the floor to watch them intently as she rested her head in her hand, a smile gracing her face.

 

“You two look so beautiful,” she commented as their lips met and pulled away only to meet again.

 

“Why do you say that?” Shepard asked, her vision blurring slightly as some of his saliva had mixed with hers.

 

“I  just watching the contrasting skin tones mingle with each other. I like watching Shepard, who is normally dominant, become this puddle of delight because she’s being kissed. I love watching Thane’s muscles relax as his guard is let down and make it easy to be overpowers if Shepard wanted. I love watching the two of you is all,” Liara explained, hiding her face behind her recently forgotten mug.

 

“So it’s a nerd thing,” Shepard stated, reapplying the balm to kiss him again. Thane nodded in agreement.


	19. Closing in

Shepard and Thane had been awake when she had gotten dressed to head out, but stayed behind considering Thane was still not at full functionality after coming back. _Especially not after the minorly intensive night,_ she thought with a grin. After kissing each of them goodbye, Liara made her way back to her apartment on the Citadel, sending money over to Dr. Michel to keep regular checks on Thane anytime they docked. Before she left the Normandy, she had gone to the MedBay to ask Dr. Chakwas to keep an eye on Thane, as his condition had worsened. She noted it in her files on him, assuring Liara she would check on him daily in the Life Support room. Liara straightened her dress as she left the confines of the bridge, calling goodbye to Joker as she exited the hatch.

 

The loneliness began to take hold with each step that took her further and further from the two of them, but there was work to be done. Shepard also mentioned in passing that she had another mission to head out on Aratoht in the Bahak system. If everything went to plan, she would be able to uncover more proof to support her claims of the imminent Reaper invasion as well as rescue Dr. Amanda Kenson. Once she got back to her apartment, she unpacked her bag, having only the barest of essentials until her belongings arrived from Ilium. With the Citadel having a large expanse of eateries and restaurants, she found no reason to go out and shop just yet, but she still needed a place to sleep. She was pleased to find that a couch was included in the purchase price of the apartment. She dismissed any other purchases she would need to make until her belongings arrived, content in what little she had for the moment. _Still doesn’t solve the clothes issue though._ Liara had only packed enough clothes for a few days journey, not near enough to last her a week without reusing the same clothing after it had been dirtied. _Reminder: get clothes._ She had enough clothes to get her through the next day, but beyond that it would get tricky. If Shepard and crew left on their mission to Aratoht now or tomorrow, she wouldn’t have access to the ship’s laundry system. _It really is the little things that make it easier._

 

Liara laid on the couch, browsing the inventory of a nearby clothing shop to pick out a few dresses, underclothes, and other outfits. _It has been a long time since I treated myself to anything new in the way of clothes._ She clicked on several blowing dresses, a change of pace from the typical high necked asari fare, going for a few more fitting on a human. _Sun dress. Why would you need a dress for just sitting in the sun?_ She added it to her cart anyway, the soft lavender a good fit against her blue. She grabbed an outfit similar to her archeology suit, in black instead of green, with grey accents. Once she had grabbed everything she needed, she clicked “pick up at store”, setting her arrival time for a few hours from now, giving her ample time to gather other needed supplies to bathe and groom herself.

 

Later that afternoon, she returned with her clothing, soaps and a snack. She saw her datapad was blinking with a message. She opened it up after setting her things down, annoyed that she hadn’t set her moving shipment to arrive sooner. She set the message to play as she stripped off her clothes, starting the hot water of the shower.

 

            _“Liara,_

_I am heading out to Aratoht now to homefully find Dr. Kenson. Be careful. I should be back in a few days. I love you.”_

 

She had stopped when the message had started, her face falling as soon as it dawned on her that Shepard, as well as the rest of the Normandy were likely already gone. Just after Shepard finished speaking, a new voice popped up.

 

            _“Siha,_

_I love you too. We will make it back to you safely.”_

 

Liara was conflicted. She knew the crew would be ok. She knew they would make it back. But the idea of them leaving again made her want to find the closest shuttle in order to hop on the Normandy with them. She knew she couldn’t abandon her work like that, not with acquiring the Shadow Broker’s resources, title and notoriety. _I really should be on Halagaz, watching everything. That drone is going to be going nuts when I return._ Liara made her next priority, gathering supplies to head to Halagaz and move some of her equipment to her apartment. After acquiring the Shadow Broker’s resources, including his credits, she found herself not wanting for anything, though she knew she needed to keep much of it for information broking and mercenary pay. She sent a message to Feron, who was still aboard her ship on Halagaz, requesting he send all vital information be sent to her inside the drone. Overall, it was easier said than done, as she would still be without much of her needed programs until then. She still wanted to prepare to stay on the Citadel for a short while in the least. _So much for not being busy_.

 

\-------------------------------------------

 

As she sweetened her second cup of coffee, Liara realized it had been days since she had heard from Shepard at all. She sent off a message to Thane, wondering if he knew where Shepard was. As he would still be recovering from his most recent complication with Kepral’s, she knew that Shepard wouldn’t risk his health on the sake of a mission. He would plead to go between coughs, but the comradery between Garrus and Thane would mean that Garrus would suggest himself and Jack to be able to partake in the carnage so usually reserved for him and Thane. Liara hoped this was the case. Minutes after her message left, she received a response.

 

_“Siha,_

_Shepard left the other day. In all honesty, she should have been back by now. She went in alone for stealth and communication is blocked due to the nature of the rescue mission. The batarians who have taken Dr. Kenson hostage are likely clogging her communicator with all the blood spilled on it. I will update you when I hear from her.”_

 

Liara’s face contorted in discontent, hoping she would get more information about Shepard’s whereabouts than that. She was thankful that Thane wasn’t out on the mission but she was distressed that she had gone in alone. Something had happened and she wanted to know what. There’s no way Shepard would be away for this long unless something had gone wrong. Liara briefly thought about telling a squad to go in and retrieve Shepard, but thought better of it, instead pulling up as much information as she could on Dr. Kenson as she could. Reaper technology found. Batarian colony. Dr. Kenson working there. _Wait, wasn’t she sent there to rescue Kenson?_ She kept reading, seeing that the reaper tech had been there for months. _No, that can’t be right. Shepard’s walking into a trap or some wires got crossed, but this seems more and more like a trap._ Liara sent a message off to Thane, hoping he still had his omni-tool on him.

 

            _Thane,_

_Dr. Kenson has been working on that Batarian colony for months. They have reaper tech with them. No idea why, but she’s not being held there against her will. Send someone in to help Shepard. Something isn’t right._

_~L_

 

She didn’t receive a reply from him, so she assumed he was asleep or otherwise resting. _I just hope that Shepard responds soon._ Liara continued with her broking, reading through files that no one realized would be sent to her, with her identity a secret.

 

She took a break from her transcripts and agents to browse some news reports, looking to see what was showing up based on what she’s been told, hoping there are no leaks from her informants. Oh a whim, Liara typed “Alpha relay” into her search to see if anyone outside the research facility knew of what Dr. Kenson and the batarians were doing with those pieces of reaper technology. What she found were a multitude of articles, distress signals, and “eyewitness” accounts of the Alpha relay being destroyed. The few ships that made it out had little information to provide on what actually happened. Liara found several messages on extranet sites of women in the batarian colony near the relay pleading to their varying deities for salvation with most of the messages ceasing around the same time. Liara looked up how many souls were on the colony. She couldn’t find an exact number just yet, but the last check of the population of the colony put it over 300,000. A little more research brought her to the conclusion that most of those on the colony were women and children. Liara said a prayer to Athame for those lost. When she looked up, one extranet message caught her eyes.

 

            _“Commander Shepard, thank you for warning me so I could hug my son as we sent a goodbye message to his father.”_

 

Liara’s eyes widened realizing she hadn’t checked to see if the Normandy had made it out before the Alpha relay wa destroyed. Before she could call Shepard, a call came in from Admiral Hackett.

 

“Hello Liara, long time since we last talked,” Hackett remarked.

 

“I agree. So what---” Liara asked as she was cut off.

 

“Now, I don’t have a lot of time to talk, but I wanted you to know that I just got off a call with Shepard. She’s fine. The crew is fine. I imagine she can fill you in on more later. But I want you to know that there is a storm of hatred coming and it will be focused on the Commander,” he explained as she nodded in acknowledgement.

 

“Understood. How bad is it?” she asked, even though she knew she would find out all she wanted in more as soon as she ended the call.

 

“Bad enough. Shepard has decided to turn herself in,” Hackett continued.

 

“Turn herself in? For what? No, you can’t be serious,” Liara said, bewildered.

 

“Right before she was able to stop Kenson, Shepard tried to warn the nearby batarian colony of what was going to happen to the Alpha relay. She had two choices. Leave it as it was, giving the Reapers time to come in and lay waste on the our way of life, or destroy the colony. She was interrupted before a full distress signal was able to make it out. The batarians are calling for blood. Her blood. It’s bad, Liara,” Hackett explained.

 

“I see. Well, I will do what I can to get her---” Liara started.

 

“You will do nothing of the sort. She told me she wants to turn herself in and if that’s what she wants to do, let her. She did the right thing. It just was at the cost of many lives. Hopefully, the courts will also see it that way,” Hackett resumed.

 

“Understood. I will let you go tend to the mess you will have to deal with soon. Keep me in the loop,” Liara responded.

 

“Will do. Hackett out.”

 

Liara found she had been pacing since Hackett called. She flopped into the couch unceremoniously, quickly sending a message to Shepard.

 

_“I already know. Tell me more when you can. I love you.”_

 

She left it unsigned, hoping Shepard would understand where an encrypted message with those words would come from considering she had Thane on her ship. She didn’t want it to get out WHO knew about what was going on, but she wanted Shepard to confirm what she would already assume of Hackett. Hackett wouldn’t say it to Shepard directly, but she knew that he would tell Liara and let her know what was going on. He knew enough of their relationship to know that not informing her would cause a mild panic in her that she frankly didn’t need after Shepard had already died before.

 

Liara began looking through her logs on what agents she currently had in the field. Scrolling through, she looked for ever batarian she had, pulling up all the communications she had on them. She was looking at comm chatter, messages, anyting to see which of them would turn on Shepard so that if she needed, she could have them taken out if their use was no longer needed. She noted that several of her trusted agents were batarians and good informants at that, but thankfully the true guise of the Shadow Broker was in such secrecy that only Feron, Thane, and Shepard knew that it was her. She could not tolerate dissent in her ranks. She sent messages to several assassins on her payroll, alerting them to keep themselves open just in case others needed to be silenced. She could not risk Shepard being attacked or killed. _Not again._ She frantically sent messages, watching as new ones came in acknowledging the orders they were being given, just in case they were needed. She noted she had five new messages in her inbox, one of them from Shepard. She switched to her unencrypted account.

 

            _“Liara,_

_I will be at the Citadel soon. I need to speak with you. I will bring Thane.”_

 

In her apartment, she would have the element of secrecy on her side. She had picked the apartment based on its location, as well as the soundproofing that the previous owner had put into it. _No idea why soundproofing would be so important in an apartment, but I’m happy it’s here._ She blushed at the idea of what SHE could use the soundproofing, especially with Shepard visiting with Thane as soon as she got into the Citadel. Liara then briefly wondered how Shepard was going to make it to her apartment with batarians on the Citadel and authorities likely looking for her. She pushed away the thought, instead focusing on what she knew about the incident. _Wait, if Shepard blew up the relay in hopes of slowing down the Reapers, this means she has the evidence she needs to make others see what she’s been saying all along about Reapers coming in._

 


	20. For the rest of Forever

Shepard arrived not long before her furniture, clothing, and other items from her apartment did from Ilium a few days after Hackett’s call. She had been hoping to be able to have their conversation in private but, Goddess, was circumstance being a cruel mistress. Liara greeted Thane and Shepard, hurrying them inside, just in case someone saw the two come in, as reports of Shepard destroying a Mass relay as well as a batarian colony had spread like wildfire through the extranet. Shepard had already released a statement saying she would turn herself in for it, hoping to satisfy public outcry. It didn’t stop the more aggressive batarians from voicing their cries for Shepard’s head, literally and figuratively. Liara kissed each of them in welcome once inside the apartment, her spartan arrangements not making it easy to explain the situation.

 

“So when I woke up after Kenson knocked me out, I had 30 minutes to get out of there as quickly as I could. I had tried to warn the colony, but she cut me off before a proper, full distress call could be made. I know that isn’t going to be good enough for the ones out there calling for my head on a platter though. They’re going to distrust humans for centuries to come for this,” Shepard explained, her tone growing weary as she went through the details of the trip.

 

“So you’re planning to turn yourself in to the Alliance military for processing? You do realize they’re going to jail you for wiping out a colony, right?” Liara asked.

 

“Yes, I know. But it’s the right thing to do. I’ll serve my time,” Shepard explained, hanging her head.

 

“What about your crew?” Liara asked as she looked over at Thane. He met her eyes and smiled, though she could see the pain he was still in from the Kepral’s as well as Shepard’s predicament.

 

“I imagine they’ll do what they need to do, like last time,” she replied with a wistful tone.

 

“Thane, you’re staying with me. Well, if you want to,” Liara said.

 

“I would be delighted,” he replied, smiling.

 

“Good to know that’s settled. At least you live close to the hospital,” Shepard commented.

 

“That was part of the reason why I chose this apartment, Shepard,” Liara stated.

 

Shepard smiled at her, getting up to enfold her in her arms, holding onto her tighter than she usually did. Liara returned the hug, as Thane got up behind them to hug the two women.

 

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Shepard said, her voice shaky.

 

“Well, I pray that they look at what happened, the evidence, and see that what you did was the best possible outcome overall,” Liara offered, completely uncertain herself.

 

“I hope that we’re at least able to visit,” Thane added with a smile.

 

“I have no idea. I have a feeling that you probably won’t but I wouldn’t rule it out completely,” Shepard responded with a laugh.

 

The three of them stood, hugging for longer than any of them would normally, none of them wanting to let go of the other until they had to. Shepard’s omni-tool chirped from the confines of her armor gauntlet, alerting her to a call.

 

“Shepard, where are you?” Hackett asked, clearly annoyed.

 

“I had to make a stop,” Shepard replied, with Liara and Thane clearly in view behind her.

 

“Well, I need you here, asap. The Alliance council is furious. Hackett out.”

 

“Well, you heard the man. I need to go. It would be better if I made it there on my own instead of having to be dragged there in restraints,” Shepard added, giving each of them a squeeze after the call ended, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry? Why are you sorry?” Liara asked, wondering where the apology was coming from.

 

“I’m sorry that as soon as I’m able to be with the two of you, that the little time I had is going to be eaten up by me likely being in prison,” Shepard responded, giving each of them a kiss once she applied her balm, “I’ll miss you two.”

 

“I’ll miss you too Shepard,” Liara called back as she was leaving, “I love you.”

 

“I’ll miss you as well, Shepard,” Thane added, his arms around Liara, “I love you too.”

 

“I love you both. Visit me, if they’ll allow it.”

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

Liara had little time to dwell on the situation. Thane could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking about hundreds of things at once with no discernable solution for any of them.

 

“Siha. Love. You need to stop and breathe,” he told her, pulling her into a hug, “I know you’re worried, but this will work out.”

 

She listened to his words, breathing in deep as calm dawned on her. She grabbed her datapad, pooling her resources to find a way to get Shepard pardoned. She stopped for a second before realizing that she should see the case against Shepard first before building a counter case. Thane’s hand touched her shoulder as the door chime rang, alerting them to someone at the door. Thane looked puzzled as he opened it, seeing two Krogan with boxes.

 

“Where do you want these?” one asked, looking at Thane.

 

“I.. uh, they’re hers,” he offered, motioning to Liara. The krogan looked at her expectantly.

 

“Just put them in the living room and the bedroom to the right,” she told them, unsure of exactly what was in each box. A parade of movers showed up after the initial first two, populating Liara and now Thane’s apartment with all of the amenities of Liara’s apartment on Ilium. Liara marveled in how quickly they had grabbed all the boxes and furniture, placing the larger items in their respective rooms, while the boxes were piled in the two rooms she had mentioned before. All in all, the entire process took them about an hour to get everything in, with Liara starting on unpacking as soon as the last mover left. She transferred credits to their personal accounts as thanks on top of the money they were already receiving as part of the job. Thane started on a box marked “bedroom”, pleased to find some of his own clothing mixed in with Liara’s. The entire process took them most of the rest of the day, with each of them content in ordering take out instead of heading out.

 

Once the last of the boxes was put away, Liara settled herself on the couch with her datapad, her head resting in Thane’s lap as he read. She noted that their positions were not very different from another time in her apartment on Ilium, where they were just enjoying one another’s company. The door chimed again, and Liara made a face in the direction of the door.

 

“Are you expecting anything?” she asked Thane, her head still in his lap.

 

“No. Are you?” he replied, looking down at her.

 

“I don’t think so,” she called back as she had risen to go check the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by Feron and her drone from the ship she had taken over from the Shadow Broker.

 

“Feron!” she greeted the rainbowed Drell, giving him a hug.

 

“H-hi! Good to see you Liara,” he replied as she invited him in.

 

“Hello, Dr. T’Soni,” said the drone as it had already gone in before she had invited Feron in.

 

“I didn’t realize you would be bringing the drone yourself,” she commented, checking his save files.

 

“Seemed like the safest way to transport him. In all honesty, I can’t stay long. My boss has me looking after other things,” he quipped, winking at her.

 

“Ha ha,” she replied, hitting his arm playfully, “well, I appreciate you bringing him by. It will definitely make my job easier.”

 

“Of course,” he replied with a grin, giving her and Thane a wave, “anyways, I’m off.”

 

The door shut behind Feron as he left. Liara and Thane watched the drone explore the apartment, going from room to room, not unlike a pet would do. _Shepard is going to ask for a pet varren once she sees this thing and it will be hard to say no._ Thane sat back down, going back to his reading. The drone went up to him, orbiting his head.

 

“Liara, can you make it stop?” he asked, following the lit, white features of the drone.

 

“Glyph, leave him alone,” she told him.

 

“As you wish, Dr. T’Soni.”

 

“You finally got it to respond to a new name?” Thane asked, looking up from his book.

 

“Yes. The process took some time, but I finally managed to override that part of his software,” she told him, grabbing a cable to download the information she asked Feron to store in the drone. Glyph had positioned himself near Liara she she hooked the cable up to him, plugging the other end of the cable into her datapad. The information started immediately, and she set the datapad down to allow it to acquire everything she needed.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The process took longer than she thought because she woke up with her head in Thane’s lap, while he was asleep himself, his head leaning back against the back of the couch. She looked over at Glyph, wondering if he had everything off of him and onto her datapad. She softly shook Thane awake, telling him the two of them should retire to the bedroom as it was the middle of the night and sleeping on the couch wasn’t the best for either of them. Thane sleepily made his way to the bedroom, a state she didn’t see him in often. This would have to work. At least for now.


End file.
